TEXT: 1
  Lead Designer
  Steven Schend
  Additional Design
  Charles W. Plemons III, Daniel M. Perez, John D. Frenzel, 
  Jon Keene, Thomas Knauss, Kevin Ruesch,  
  and Michael Thibault.
  V3.5 Conversion
  Shannon Bennett
  Editor
  Aaron Rosenberg
  Editor-in-Chief
  Jim Butler
  Illustrations
  Ginger Kubic, Todd Morasch, and Kevin Wasden
  Table of Contents
  Appendix One: Monsters .................................. 100
  Alchemunculus .................................................................. 100
  Erlmantle  ............................................................................ 101
  Kin o’ the Green (Template) ............................................. 102
   Appendix Two: The Feats Table ....................105
  Table 1: The Black Alchemist ............................................. 18
  Table 2: The White Alchemist ............................................ 19
  Table 3: The Red Alchemist ................................................ 21
  Table 4:  The Tarastan Herbalist ........................................ 31
  Table 5: The Tarastan Apothecary  .................................... 32
  Table 6: Herbal Costs Adjustment Table .......................... 47
  Table 7: Alchemical & Herbal Item Creation Feats  ........ 50
  Table 8: Skills Synergy with Alchemy & Herbalism ....... 52
  Table  9: Item Creation Feats & Types Table .................... 53
  Table 10: Mundane Treasure Levels .................................. 57
  Table 11: Alchemical and Herbal Treasures ..................... 58
  Table 12: Chymicals & Compounds .................................. 61
  Table 13: Lesser Erlcana ...................................................... 62
  Table 14: Greater Erlcana .................................................... 63
  Table 15: Greater Alchana ................................................... 64
  Table 16: Lesser Alchana ..................................................... 65
  Table 17: Ingestibles ............................................................. 66
  Table 18: Powders & Dusts ................................................. 67
  Table 19: Toxins and Poisons Table ................................... 68
  Table 20:  Alchemortar Table .............................................. 69
  Table 21: Unguents .............................................................. 71
  Table 22: Miscellaneous Wondrous Items ........................ 71
  Table 23: Bloodiron Items ................................................... 72
  Table 24: Elixer List .............................................................. 78
  Table 25: Incarnation Table ................................................. 80
  Table 26: Bone Balm Type ................................................... 88
  Table 27: Siege Salts ............................................................. 92
  Table 28: Temperant Baths .................................................. 97
  Table 29: Temperate Pastes ................................................. 98
  Table 30: The Complete A&H Feats Table ..................... 105
  Alchemy & Herbalists
  Playtesters
  Anna Hurst, Barry Chapman, Brian Schwarzmann, Chad Kelly, 
  Chris Jackson, Corey Remington, Cynthia Hahn, Dan Platt, 
  Daniel Wiederecht, Darren Goddard, Dave Walsh, David Brown, 
  David Shearer, Debbie Brown Dion McNaughton, Dwayne Vey, 
  Gary MacPherson, Glen Moss, Greg Kilberger, Greg Tucker, 
  Jenny Rarig, Jim (Kippo) Kelly, Jodi Ruesch, Josh Hubbell, Keith 
  Polster, Kelly Lamont, Kevin Ruesch, Lawrence J Ramirez, Mark 
  Platt, Michal (Dolf) Szulc, Olivia M Woodward, Paul Connolly, 
  Ramona Hubbell, Randall Wert, Rob (The Weasel) Crossetti, Rob 
  Brine, Robert N. Emerson, Russell (Berserker) McKnight, Shane 
  Wyatt, Shawn “Duke” Duquet, Skeeter Green, Steve Craig, Steve 
  Maxson, Steven Creech, Tim Hatﬁeld, and Troy Ellis
  Bastion Press and the Bastion Press logo are trademarks owned by Bastion Press, Inc. 
  ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast 
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  Alchemy at its d20 Basic ....................................................... 2
  How Alchemy Can Be Learned and Taught ...................... 3
  The Essentials ......................................................................... 4
  Alchemical Processes ............................................................. 5
  Alchemists’ Activities ............................................................ 7
  Chapter 2: “Saragun’s Alcheminary” .................9
  The Castle Grounds ............................................................. 11
  The Staff and Faculty ........................................................... 13
  Syllabus Alchemicus ............................................................ 16
  The Black Alchemist  ........................................................... 17
  The White Alchemist ........................................................... 18
  The Red Alchemist ............................................................... 19
  Chapter 3: Basics of Herbalism .......................... 22
  The Essentials ....................................................................... 23
  Growing Herbs ..................................................................... 23
  Harvesting Herbs ................................................................. 23
  Preserving Herbs .................................................................. 24
  Creating Herbal Concoctions ............................................. 25
  Chapter 4: Tarasta’s School of Herbalism  ...... 26
  The Staff and Faculty ........................................................... 28
  Learning the Craft ................................................................ 29
  The Tarastan Herbalist  ....................................................... 31
  Tarastan Apothecary ........................................................... 32
  Chapter 5: Herbal Catalog .................................. 33
  The Herbs .............................................................................. 34
  Chapter 6: Knowledge & Development ...........48
  Feats ....................................................................................... 48
  What if I know about…..? ................................................... 52
  Who Makes What? ............................................................... 53
  Chapter 7: Catalog Herbala y Alchemica .........57
  Toxins & Poisons .................................................................. 63
  Catalog of Wonders ............................................................. 64
  Table of Contents
  
  2
  “While all sentients seek the secrets of the worlds and the 
  universe, we all approach it differently. Clerics and paladins 
  look to the gods and their faiths, and wizards and sages look to 
  their magics to teach them the secrets. Gods and sorceries are 
  one way—we choose another. Alchemy teaches the secrets of the 
  universe grudgingly and laboriously, but honestly and truly. 
  We may arrive at the same answers as those who use spells 
  or prayers, but we gain the satisfaction of having gained our 
  knowledge of the universe without resorting to anything but our 
  own brains and bodies.”
  Saragun the Wise, alchemist
  W
  hat is alchemy? The knee-jerk deﬁnition 
  of alchemy is “a buncha guys trying to 
  turn lead into gold,” right? While that’s 
  partly true, there’s so much more 
  to learn. Stick around and you’ll 
  discover everything you’ll need to know about the 
  Hermetic Arts, or at least the alchemical arts you 
  choose to adapt and unleash upon your fantasy 
  game worlds.
  What is alchemy? It’s the quest 
  for perfection, pure and simple. 
  That can be perfection in matter, 
  the much-vaunted turning the 
  basest of metals—lead—into 
  the purest—gold. It can also 
  mean perfection in ourselves 
  by seeking immortality. These 
  are the ultimate paths and 
  goals of alchemy, though they 
  are not the only ones, and 
  there is much to learn along 
  the way.
  What is alchemy? It is as 
  many questions as answers, as 
  many truths as lies. It is undeﬁnable 
  to those outside its mysteries, just like 
  magic or the rituals of each individual 
  faith. The shortest deﬁnition would be 
  “the medieval equivalent of chemistry and 
  chemical research.” Another way of looking 
  at it is the Art of Transformation without 
  Magic. To most players of d20 worlds, 
  that’s enough. For those who want to know 
  the whole truth (or truths)—read on.
  Alchemy 
  at 
  its 
  d20 
  Basic
  A
  lchemy, as paraphrased from 
  the Player’s Handbook, allows 
  those with knowledge and 
  skill to combine strange ingredients to 
  order to create marvelous substances, 
  identify unknown materials, and make 
  nonmagical but special items. As far as 
  the Player’s Handbook and the core rules 
  are concerned, alchemy can help you 
  identify potions and other substances, 
  make acids or poisons, and create a 
  small repertoire of items, all of which 
  are deﬁned in the PHB.
  The given understanding within this 
  book is that the Craft (Alchemy) skill—
  while important and linked to all other levels 
  of the craft—is the base minimum under which most 
  “alchemists” work, using those core DCs and costs to ﬁll 
  that small gap between wizards with their Wondrous Items 
  and NPC Craftsmen with their more common nonmagical 
  items. The skill doesn’t provide understanding of the 
  greater philosophies argued among the more learned 
  alchemists, nor does it grant any expanded knowledge of 
  individual substances or types of materials.
  The Craft (Alchemy) skill basically allows you the 
  chance to make anything that lists it as the minimum 
  prerequisite. If all you want is more special stuff for those 
  basic alchemy skill-users to have, skip ahead to 
  Chapter 7 and start looking at all the new stuff 
  that even the meanest potion-pusher can 
  produce. If you want to learn more about 
  the study of alchemy itself, however, keep 
  reading and discover how much more 
  there is than simply making potions or 
  seeking to turn lead into gold….
  The Generic Alchemist
  This work assumes that a general 
  alchemist—meaning anyone with 
  a few ranks in alchemy—is a 
  self-taught or singularly taught 
  individual who learns things 
  haphazardly or piecemeal. Sure, 
  anyone with a rank or two in 
  Craft (Alchemy) can take a 
  stab at identifying potions and 
  substances, or creating inks and 
  acids, poisons and purgatives. 
  But what else can you expect 
  out of them? How far does their 
  knowledge extend? That’s the 
  purpose of this book—to show 
  how far chymical knowledge 
  reaches and what specialists 
  and those committed to the 
  alchemical arts—as opposed to 
  mere dabblers—can really do.
  While it is possible to 
  add a few bits of alchemical 
  knowledge to any character and 
  allow them the basics mentioned 
  above, alchemy is more than 
  simple 
  knowledge. 
  Alchemy 
  leads to a greater understanding 
  of the world and the universe 
  and all life and matter within it. 
  It’s a way of life fully embraced 
  and made a life’s work and focus. 
  That’s how the prestige classes in 
  Chapter 2 approach alchemy—
  it’s not just another thing for 
  a wizard or ranger to learn so 
  much as a new philosophy and 
  perspective on life. 
  Obviously, this approach 
  is problematic from a game 
  play 
  perspective—the 
  other 
  player 
  characters 
  can’t 
  simply mill around while 
  Argus takes six years to 
  immerse himself in studies 
  at Saragun’s Alcheminary. 
  Chapter 1
  
  3
  That’s unreasonable for an adventure game. What this 
  book presents is every facet of alchemy (and herbalism, 
  in alternating chapters) so that the GM and players can 
  either build a character who uses the basics or create one 
  who embraces every aspect of alchemy possible. If you’ve 
  got a character who dabbles in alchemy (adding ranks 
  every few levels or so), he probably knows the names of 
  some famous alchemists (the creators of the named items 
  in Chapter 7 or listed within the glossary of Appendix 
  One), though whether he’s familiar with their theories and 
  studies is questionable. 
  Those are the only differences between an alchemist 
  built strictly from the core books (the core alchemy skill) 
  and one developed with this book—the level of detail 
  and the options for role-playing. Just remember—if 
  it’s in this book, alchemists can learn it, but there’s no 
  guarantee that they know all the details and minutia and 
  knowledge available unless they’re full-ﬂedged prestige-
  class characters in their ﬁeld of study. 
  How Alchemy Can Be Learned and 
  Taught
  A
  lchemists in our world learned by trial and error, 
  self-teaching from books, and perhaps some 
  overlap with the burgeoning sciences of their 
  days. Alchemy can be learned that way in d20 worlds as 
  well, simply by taking a rank or three in Craft (Alchemy) 
  with no further study or additional feats. That’s one way 
  to learn the hermetic arts, haphazard and incomplete 
  though it may be (and such characters can only work with 
  the limited DCs and substances noted in the core books). 
  It’s all alchemy, but it’s barely scratching the surface of the 
  art’s potential. It’s alchemy as a hobby.
  A more effective method is to ﬁnd a mentor—another 
  alchemist who will train you in the alchemical arts. (This 
  sometimes occurs among wizards, who beseech the local 
  alchemist to teach them some mysteries in exchange for 
  reciprocal information or magic.) While this still reﬂects 
  the simple use of the skill and its ranks, having a teacher 
  to direct (and correct) one’s studies adds some focus to 
  learning alchemy. Also, assuming the mentor has the 
  feats, the student alchemist can gain directed knowledge 
  on speciﬁc substances and materials by learning some of 
  the alchemical or herbal Item Creation feats. The student 
  is, however, limited to the feats known by the teacher. 
  A third way, and one discussed at length in Chapter 
  2, is to ﬁnd a school where alchemy is taught. Learning 
  alchemy from a variety of other alchemists is the most 
  comprehensive method. The learning is organized to 
  indoctrinate the student into alchemy as an approach to life 
  as much as a future trade (or subskill to one’s wizardry). 
  It also provides the broadest chances for alchemists to 
  focus their studies on a path toward understanding some 
  great universal and material secrets, whether they choose 
  to embrace the paths toward immortality or those toward 
  perfection of matter. Only this third method provides 
  access to the major works and philosophies that lead to 
  the Create Greater Alchana feat and its products—the Five 
  Stones and the Elixir of Life.
  Alchemy as a Profession
  Most campaigns will use alchemists in the background—
  NPC Experts who know their way around an alchemical 
  lab. For the most part, this is the standard sort of alchemist 
  in campaigns—a nonadventuring thinker who creates 
  spell components and various and sundry creations for 
  use by adventures and monarchs alike. 
  Look at the limitations and strictures of the NPC Expert 
  class to determine just how powerful an alchemist you’ll 
  be able to generate for your games. Unlike the generic 
  skill-driven alchemist, Experts can and may adopt the 
  alchemical Item Creation feats within this book, provided 
  their skills and abilities meet the prerequisites.
  As noted above, being a professional alchemist is more 
  of a commitment, and it requires that you have a mentor 
  or teacher for at least part of your education. The main 
  distinction between professionals and amateurs is the 
  knowledge of any alchemical Item Creation feats. 
  Of course, any PC who chooses to take the prerequisite 
  skill ranks in Craft (Alchemy) can acquire the new Item 
  Creation feats. However, it is unlikely they’ll choose to do 
  so, given all the highly specialized and useful adventuring-
  type feats they can take instead. That’s why a PC with a 
  profession as an alchemist is a rare thing, unless we’re 
  seeing a retired adventurer.
  Alchemy as a Calling
  Finally, those who truly see alchemy on the grander scale—
  as a philosophy and a calling to another life—embrace it 
  and all the study and knowledge it entails. These folk can 
  be highly focused NPC Experts with few skills outside 
  of alchemical training, but more likely they’re characters 
  using one of the three alchemist prestige classes. Still, 
  accepting the call of the Hermetic Arts is a tough decision 
  for many adventurers.
  The education of a true and fully-educated alchemist 
  comes only from a dedicated school of alchemy and a 
  commitment to the arts through the adoption of one of 
  the prestige classes found in this book. This is a viable 
  and powerful option by which you can expand your 
  PC’s powers and abilities, but it is time-consuming and 
  costly, since the experiences (and XP) have to come from 
  a certain amount of laboratory work and experimentation, 
  not going off adventuring. After all, saving a kingdom is 
  admirable, but it doesn’t help you gain the understanding 
  of immortality, the spirits of all matter, or how to hurdle 
  that last step to creating a Mystic’s Stone. 
  Attitude and Roleplaying
  Just like it can among magic-users, the existence of 
  specialization muddies the waters a bit for those not in the 
  know. Relf the warrior might consider Praan an alchemist 
  for being able to identify a potion, but Praan is considered 
  a half-witted oil salesman by some of his neighbors in the 
  Alchemists’ Guild. 
  In short, the stratiﬁcation of knowledge leads to a 
  similar stratiﬁcation and social stigmatization based on 
  the level of alchemical knowledge one has. It happens in 
  magecraft, with specialist wizards touting their superiority 
  of spellcraft over common mages, and mages doing the 
  same to sorcerers. Alchemists can act similarly, sneering 
  at those who dabble in alchemy while they’ve learned 
  the secrets of unguents and toxins. Likewise, a Black 
  Alchemist can show off his Philosopher’s Stone and show 
  them all that he’s superior for having unlocked the great 
  arcana of all alchemists.
  This is the part that we most often forget in our 
  roleplaying—school rivalries and the judgments based on 
  education. There should be an elitism among those who 
  Introduction
  
  4
  know far more about alchemy than those who’ve just 
  learned the basic skills and how to make tindertwigs. It 
  also allows you as a DM to have internal arguments among 
  equals and NPCs, their differing philosophies as Black 
  and White Alchemists sparking feuds and wars that can 
  keep the PCs busy for ages. As for school rivalries, you’ll 
  see Saragun’s Alcheminary next chapter (and Tarasta’s 
  School of Herbalism in Chapter 4), but there are probably 
  others….and the rivalries between them and Saragun’s 
  could be akin to snobbery over Ivy League vs. university 
  schooling…or it could be as savage as the rivalries among 
  football teams….
  The Essentials
  W
  elcome to the section on “What Every Alchemist 
  Worth his Salt Knows.” Whether you’re just a 
  dabbler with a few ranks of Alchemy, an Expert 
  with some knowledge of Chymicals or Unguents, or a 
  full-ﬂedged student of the Stonequest, you’re all going to 
  share many of these basic traits. 
  Basic Abilities
  As expected, all alchemists need to have at least the Craft 
  (Alchemy) skill, at any rank up to their class- and level-
  driven maximums. These alchemists have the innate ability 
  to both combine and separate substances, to analyze them 
  and ﬁnd out what they are, and to create new substances 
  that seem magical to the uninitiated and simple. To do any 
  more than this (and anything beyond the immediate scope 
  of the PHB) requires either Item Creation feats or prestige 
  classes, both of which take your alchemist well beyond 
  “basic abilities.”
  Basic Equipment
  The core books generically lump alchemical equipment 
  into a single Alchemist’s Lab (Player’s Handbook, Chapter 7), 
  and that’s ﬁne for the hobbyist or for expediency’s sake to 
  keep the game moving. For those of you who are adopting 
  the alchemists’ life, however, you’ll want to know more 
  about what you’re working with beyond “beakers, bottles, 
  and a miscellany of chemicals and substances.”
  Alchemists’ Kit, Traveling: This provides the alchemist 
  in the ﬁeld a +1 circumstance bonus for concocting 
  substances on the ﬂy. This is mandatory for the use of the 
  Crisis Creation Feat (see Chapter 6), and its chymicals and 
  solvents are exhausted after 5 uses. In all other ways, treat 
  it as a Healer’s Kit (detailed in the Player’s Handbook).
  Alembic: This glass device is important for the 
  distillation and separation of liquids and spirits. It consists 
  of the pear-shaped curcurbit or holding bell topped by a 
  screw-on venting hood. Various tubes attach to the hood 
  and empty its heated vapors into a waiting receptacle. 
  Alembics come on ceramic or metal stands to be placed 
  over a heat source. Most laboratories carry three or four 
  alembics, though the minimal two required are in the 
  Alchemist’s Lab (and one in the Alchemists’ Kit).
  Aquas: Deﬁned more fully later (see Chapter 7—
  Chymicals), each alchemist’s lab comes with four 2 oz. 
  doses each of the four basic solvents: aqua fortis, aqua 
  metallorum, aqua permanens, and aqua vitae. These base 
  liquids are used for making most simple concoctions. Full, 
  non-traveling laboratories would stock at least a gallon of 
  each, rather than small bottles.
  Balance & Scales: Necessary for accurate measuring 
  of weights and amounts, these steel or bronze balancing 
  scales (also called merchants’ scales in the PHB) provide 
  precise readings from 1/12 oz. to 60 pounds. At least one 
  of these is necessary for a complete laboratory, though 
  they do not come in traveling alchemists’ labs.
  Base Chymicals: The bare minimum of reactive 
  chymicals is provided in each Alchemists’ Kit, roughly 
  two useful doses each of a handful of chymicals and 
  commonly used substances (for making the things found 
  in the core books). The labs come pre-stocked with about 
  10 oz. of each. 
  Braziers: Each lab comes with one small brazier for 
  heating an individual beaker or bottle, and one large 
  brazier for heating the lab room itself. Braziers can be 
  loaded with candles or charcoal, depending on the size 
  and degree of control the ﬂames need for the work. 
  Burettes & Pipettes: A highly specialized piece of 
  glassware, burettes are thin glass tubes blown into long 
  cylinders and graduated by alchemists and glaziers for 
  exact measurements from 1/10 ounce up to a full ounce. 
  One comes with each laboratory (complete with a cork 
  stopper and a stand on which to rest it ) but never with the 
  kit. For a fully stocked lab ready for all emergencies, three 
  burettes would not be unreasonable.
  Corks: Each lab comes with two-score corks of various 
  sizes to stopper any containers, from glass vials and 
  beakers to ceramic jars. The kit simply secures every bottle 
  and jar with a regular stopper. Specialized corks have 
  holes drilled in them so tubes and coils can be connected 
  to heated beakers or alembics for distillations.
  Crucible: A porcelain or ceramic vessel in which 
  things are heated to high temperatures. A large and small 
  crucible each are found in the Alchemists’ Lab, but the 
  kit’s size limits it to the small one only. Most alchemists 
  prefer two of each size per lab.
  Cupel: This is a shallow, porous, heat-resistant vessel 
  used to separate precious metals from more base elements, 
  usually within an oven or kiln but sometimes directly over 
  a brazier or crucible. Cupels are used commonly for silver 
  reﬁning, but alchemists use them in many operations. One 
  comes with the kit, three of graduated sizes come in the 
  lab, and most fully stocked laboratories have at least ﬁve.
  Distilling 
  Coil: 
  While 
  technically 
  glassware, 
  this specialized piece of equipment allows vaporous 
  condensation. Vapors rise from a crucible or alembic into 
  the coil, and those vapors condense back into a new liquid 
  by radiating away heat as the vapor moves down the coil 
  to collect in a condensation beaker.
  Glassware: Each laboratory comes complete with 
  small, medium, and large pieces of glassware, two each 
  (small and large) of the following types—beakers, tubes, 
  vials, jars, bottles, and cups. The ﬁrst three types tend 
  to be clear or at least translucent, but the cups are dark, 
  opaque glass to protect what they hold from light. A full 
  lab prefers at least four of each type. 
  Kiln or Oven: Iron ovens and charcoal-heated ceramic 
  kilns are a necessity, and the small oven provided with the 
  alchemist’s lab is enough to make one potion or substance 
  at a time. Kilns are necessary for the creation of powders 
  and the higher-end alchana, and you’ll probably want 
  much larger ovens than the minimum. 
  Mortar and Pestle: These crushing implements of 
  stone, wood, or ceramic are as necessary as the individual 
  chymicals, giving the alchemist an object in which to crush 
  and combine ingredients for compounds and whatnot. A 
  small hand-sized mortar and pestle comes in the kit, with 
  Chapter 1
  
  5
  one slightly larger in the basic lab. Many alchemists ﬁnd 
  it useful to have two, if only to give their apprentices 
  constant work grinding things.
  Protective Clothes: While not provided in the kit or the 
  lab, it’s a good idea to have a number of aprons, kerchiefs, 
  and gloves while working. These protect you and your 
  regular clothes from any alchemical mishaps.
  Retort: This glass alembic is made of a single piece of 
  glass, molded or blown with sealable openings at both 
  ends. Like the standard alembic, it’s used for distillation 
  of liquids.
  Unfortunately, we don’t have the space or the 
  knowledge to do a full catalog of all the possible chymicals, 
  solvents, and substances that might be found 
  among an alchemist’s things. A good rule 
  of thumb is if you or your players need 
  or want something speciﬁc in the lab 
  (especially if it’s for the sake of the game), 
  then it’s present—provided it could have 
  been prepared by medieval methods (no 
  plutonium or argon or things that require 
  more advanced technology to isolate, 
  identify, and use). 
  Basic Philosophy
  While 
  going 
  into 
  the 
  deep 
  philosophies 
  spouted 
  by 
  Paracelsus, Roger Bacon or others 
  would take pages, there are some 
  basic beliefs that all alchemists 
  have adhered to:
  • 
  Alchemists 
  always 
  seek 
  the 
  ultimate 
  perfection and purity 
  of matter. In our world, 
  eastern 
  alchemists 
  sought that goal in 
  personal puriﬁcation 
  and 
  perfection—
  immortality via the 
  Elixir of Life. Western 
  alchemists 
  sought 
  material 
  perfection 
  and puriﬁcation—the 
  Philosopher’s Stone and 
  its ability to turn lead to 
  gold. 
  • 
  Gold, 
  silver, 
  and 
  other 
  precious 
  metals 
  were 
  perceived to be “pure forms” 
  and were the goals many an 
  alchemist tried to make from 
  baser metals.
  • 
  All matter is inherently 
  the same at the basic level 
  and can be transformed or 
  altered cosmetically.
  For more philosophical discussions 
  of alchemy, check out the books in the 
  bibliography on the Bastion Press 
  website. For our purposes here, 
  these three basic ideas encompass 
  the lines upon which we build new 
  advanced d20 rules for alchemy.
  Alchemical Processes
  R
  egardless of how one learns alchemy, there 
  are elementary segments of knowledge that all 
  alchemists share. This knowledge (at least in our 
  world) formed some of the underpinnings for scientiﬁc 
  theory and our basic understanding of how our world and 
  matter work. While there are other, more arcane processes 
  with far more adventurous results, alchemists need to 
  understand the fundamentals before taking their ﬁrst steps 
  toward making elixirs. The following methods are used 
  for every alchemical goal, from identifying an unknown 
  substance to creating an Emerald Tablet. Exactly which 
  processes go into the makings of which substances is left 
  up to the DM. The following explanations should give 
  DMs descriptive hooks for players and their characters 
  when entering an alchemist’s shop or when they’re 
  trying to create something themselves.
  Throughout history alchemists have argued 
  over the organization of alchemical processes, each 
  alchemist publishing his ideas of which steps led to 
  the prima materia, or “ﬁrst matter” from which all 
  matter forms (also known as the Philosopher’s 
  Stone). Many said seven processes were crucial, 
  while others said twelve, and linked the 
  process to the astrological zodiac. Since no 
  two texts agree on the proper series, the basic 
  processes are organized alphabetically for 
  ease of deﬁnition and use.
  Absorption
  Gases and vaporous liquids can be 
  puriﬁed 
  by 
  ﬁltration. 
  Most 
  often, 
  prepared 
  cheesecloth 
  treated 
  with 
  charcoal and some potion (or sometimes 
  just the charcoal) help ﬁlter out 
  impurities—any contaminants are left 
  behind on the charcoal and the cloth, 
  purifying the vapors for condensation 
  and use. These ﬁlters are usually 
  placed in glass globes within the 
  distillation tubes, and the process is 
  performed under pressurized and 
  isolated conditions. Other methods 
  of absorbing impurities out of vapors 
  and gases include forcing them 
  to bubble up or through a liquid 
  designed to remove particulates and 
  contaminants. 
  Assation
  Waxy 
  substances, 
  unguents, 
  and 
  compounds are often subjected to 
  assation to purify or isolate key 
  components of materials. The material 
  is scraped or placed into a heavy glass 
  vessel and dried over hot ashes or at 
  the edge of a brazier. If an oven is 
  available, the material is more 
  evenly and cleanly cooked and 
  reduced to crystals and dust 
  in an oven.
  Introduction
  
  6
  Calcination
  Alchemists use calcination to overheat a metal or other 
  hard solid and reduce it to a friable, powdered material. 
  This process allows them to purify metals and reduce them 
  to workable forms without losing their innate merits or 
  usefulness. This also causes many metals and substances 
  to take on a crystalline form. 
  Calcination also works by crushing and pulverizing 
  the solid metals or minerals ahead of time and then 
  overheating them to crystallize the matter. 
  The result of either method was called calx, a semi-
  crystalline form of material used in many alchemical 
  creations, including potions. 
  Chromatography
  Some substances can be tested by look and color using 
  chromatography. The unknown sample is dissolved in 
  water or some other solvent and then the suspension is 
  poured through a burette or tube lined with paper or 
  papyrus. Different components and elements within the 
  unknown substance move through the ﬁltering paper and 
  tube at different speeds, and the colors line up like bands 
  along the paper. A knowledgeable alchemist can often 
  identify substances with this method, though it is rarely 
  used in isolation—usually chromatography is used only 
  to back up the ﬁndings of other identiﬁcation methods. 
  Cupellation
  This technique for reﬁning metals has been in use among 
  alchemists for thousands of years, and is seen as an early 
  stage of the metal’s puriﬁcation. The metals (or other 
  materials) to be reﬁned are placed in a cupel and heated 
  to extreme temperatures until all impurities are either 
  absorbed into the cupel and crucible or bled off and 
  evaporated.
  Chapter 1
  
  7
  Distillation
  This process is actually a series of reactions, detailed below 
  step-by-step. 
  Evaporation occurs ﬁrst, when the alchemist heats up 
  liquids in an alembic or retort and boils away the liquid 
  into vapors. 
  Descension or condensation occurs next, as the vapors 
  rise through a distillation coil. They cool as they travel 
  farther from the heat source, ﬁnally becoming liquid 
  again.
  Distillation, while often used to describe the whole 
  process, is the last step of reincorporation from vaporous 
  to liquid stage. The distilled liquid—often changed into a 
  higher state or at least a different state—drips out of the 
  coil and collects in a beaker or another container. 
  Insuration
  This stage requires the alchemist to saturate a substance 
  with liquids of various kinds (depending on the need and 
  process at hand) in order to dissolve it. In some works, 
  insuration helps puriﬁcation of a substance. Another type 
  of insuration saturates the substance with a desiccant (such 
  as salt) and thoroughly dries out the substance before the 
  process of sublimation.
  Sublimation
  Similar but more extreme than cupellation, this process 
  quickly vaporizes a solid under extreme heat, then just 
  as quickly condenses and returns the vaporized solid to 
  a different solid form. Very often, alchemists use ceramic 
  and porcelain retorts to withstand the great temperatures, 
  and pack ice (or use cooling magics) around the distillation 
  coils to swiftly reduce the temperature of the vapor to 
  liquid and back again to solid.
  Alchemists’ Activities
  N
  ow that you’ve been shown what the alchemist 
  has in his lab and what he does with it, what 
  does it all mean? In the game-world sense, what 
  can an alchemist do every day, whether your PCs are 
  around or not? What’s the typical daily activity of Mhur 
  the Alchemist? 
  Component Preparation
  The most obvious and common expectation of alchemists 
  in d20 worlds is their creation and preparation of magical 
  spell components. Every alchemist worth his salt learns 
  how to prepare, collect, and preserve spell components, 
  whether he ever uses them or not. This is one of the 
  cornerstones of an alchemist’s trade, especially if he lives 
  in a city and is the afﬁliated supplier of a mage’s guild.
  In recent centuries, alchemists versed in spellcraft 
  and casting have tried isolating the active and necessary 
  ingredients out of distasteful but traditional components. 
  If the GM so chooses, spell components could be more 
  alchemical for your game world, and wizards could use 
  powders and gels and pastes rather than bat guano or 
  powdered bones. This is optional, but it does make the 
  alchemist and his skills more useful to those games (not to 
  mention making it less disgusting to shake hands with a 
  wizard after a spell battle). If adopted, the costs of material 
  spell components might be raised from negligible and 
  unlisted to perhaps 1 cp/spell level.
  Alchemists continue, on all d20 worlds, to perfect 
  spell components (for their own use or for sale). Ideas for 
  further expansion could be alchemically enhanced spell 
  components that work like Metamagic feats to boost or 
  reduce effects and so forth. These plans are the future of 
  alchemy in many worlds, and could change many more 
  things, from simple colors to types of damage to changing 
  the spell’s area of effect. After all, even alchemists need 
  some pure research—and altering spells merely by 
  changing components is a challenge they want to take on.
  Analysis & Identification
  Every now and again, people need mysterious substances 
  identiﬁed, and that’s an unsung talent of the alchemist. 
  Without signiﬁcantly depleting the item’s effect or impact 
  (in the case of a potion or other consumable substance), 
  alchemists can analyze magical substances and (if they’re 
  capable of making it) identify them for clients.
  Bear in mind that this applies only to an alchemist 
  telling PCs what the item is made of (in the case of many 
  magical items), although he can fully identify any items 
  an alchemist can create. In fact, even if he cannot create 
  such an item, his basic training in alchemy taught him 
  what many items and potions should look like or how 
  they should react. However, if you’ve given an alchemist 
  something new and unfamiliar, you might ﬁnd someone 
  willing to take the item off your hands—and there’s 
  another adventure in unscrupulous alchemists giving 
  clients fake potions after analysis, and keeping the real 
  samples to study and possibly duplicate.
  The DC for analyzing an unknown substance, whether 
  it’s to identify the type of metal in a sword or the stuff 
  that’s dripping off the blade, is based on its rarity and 
  power levels (using the core system standard of minor, 
  medium, and major items).
  • 
  Every alchemist who has learned about potions 
  can automatically identify all potions by taste, 
  even before noting any effects of the potion 
  by making a Craft (Alchemy) skill check. The 
  identiﬁcation of potions by an alchemist is a DC 
  25 without doing more than looking at the bottle 
  and its contents, DC 20 with smelling, and DC 
  15 by tasting (the taste is too small to reduce the 
  potion by any discernible amount).
  • 
  The identiﬁcation of unknown minor items (or 
  any nonmagical inorganic substance) is a DC 25.
  • 
  The identiﬁcation of unknown medium items (or 
  any nonmagical organic substance) is a DC 30.
  • 
  The identiﬁcation of unknown major items (or 
  any magical substance) is a DC 40.
  • 
  Distinguishing what craft or creator made an 
  item (i.e. wizard-made or alchemist-made, etc.) 
  is a DC 40. 
  • 
  Reverse-engineering an item—taking an existing 
  potion or item, breaking it down to components, 
  and studying its structure—reduces the DC for 
  future creation of said item by -5 (though this 
  process destroys the analyzed sample).
  Other Common Deeds
  Although the two activities mentioned above are the most 
  common interface between player characters and NPC 
  alchemists, these people regularly perform other tasks for 
  themselves and for non-adventuring customers:
  Introduction
  
  8
  • 
  White alchemists (see Chapter 2) might try 
  creating remedies and curatives for administering 
  to the sick beyond their immediate circles of 
  friends and family.
  • 
  Black alchemists and those skilled in alchana can 
  create temperate baths to enhance and repair 
  items; this is uncommon due to the large amount 
  of materials the baths use, and is either done with 
  a great deal of pre-planning or on emergency 
  rush-jobs. 
  • 
  Alchemists are sometimes involved in the 
  secrets trade, as they can prepare special inks 
  or wax seals or other substances to keep secrets 
  out of spies’ hands without delaying important 
  messages from delivery. 
  Extraordinary Activities
  Finally, some alchemical activities, methods, and 
  substances have such complexity and scope as to be 
  extraordinarily rare. Some alchemists might perform these 
  deeds only once, if ever, while others take them on with 
  the knowledge that they can become rich if they succeed.
  • 
  Among the rarest of activities for alchemists 
  would be large-scale works, using alchemy in the 
  building and repair of siege engines, iron golems, 
  or even buildings and castles themselves.
  • 
  Even larger-scale works would be for an 
  alchemist to help build a castle from the start. 
  This would be rewarding for alchemist and client 
  alike, as new methods and enhancements could 
  be custom-designed as needed and incorporated 
  into mortars or infused in stone or metals before 
  and during building. Given a large enough 
  budget, an alchemist could treat city streets to 
  not allow undead to walk upon them, make the 
  mix for mud bricks nearly as strong as solid stone 
  once set, etc. 
  • 
  The rarest—and most important—activity for 
  alchemists are the Stonequests, spending all 
  their time cooped up and focused on creating the 
  greater alchana. 
  • 
  Alchemists prepare and make many substances 
  that we take for granted, but which are in large 
  demand among the commoners. If it cannot be 
  found in nature and is not necessarily made by 
  magic, chances are it’s made by an alchemist. 
  They can prepare glues, inks, clothing dyes, 
  paints, and all sorts of other mundane items. 
  Other craftsmen can make such things also, but 
  alchemists can charge more for higher quality 
  workmanship (especially if they know the related 
  Craft skill and chose to make it with alchemy 
  instead of stock methods).
  • 
  As it’s always important to keep good relations, 
  alchemists also tend to help their immediate 
  neighbors. Alchemists can often be found helping 
  repair a wagon wheel (whether by enhancing the 
  wood’s strength or simply holding up the wagon 
  until the wheel’s back on), teaching local kids 
  how to read and write, or even sprinkling some 
  special dusts outside a baker’s window to keep 
  the neighborhood cats and dogs (and the sewer 
  rats) from jumping up and stealing pies cooling 
  on the sill. These aren’t heroic actions, nor are they 
  costly or proﬁtable—they’re life, and that’s an 
  activity in which every character should always 
  be involved, instead of just waiting around for 
  the forces of evil to show up again.
  Special Dealings
  Creating ﬁne or special items falls among the more 
  uncommon activities for an alchemist. Not done every day 
  or perhaps even more than once a month, alchemists can 
  make a wide variety of time-saving items or near-magical 
  creations. Examples of special deeds for alchemists of any 
  stripe are:
  • 
  Making alchemical creations (most of those in 
  Chapter 7); these are the sorts of things alchemists 
  either make for special orders or for themselves. 
  They are not items one can stock in a shop, given 
  their peculiar natures and usefulness only to 
  adventurers or other speciﬁc groups. 
  Chapter 1
  
  9
  Chapter 2: “Saragun’s Alcheminary”
  by various decorative statues placed haphazardly along 
  the walls. There is an outer guard post near the forest’s 
  edge, manned by ﬁve guards at all times; hidden just 
  inside the treeline, these guards watch the roads and ﬂank 
  any riders from behind before they approach within three 
  hundred yards of the castle. Most often, these guards 
  simply extend greetings and escort new students or old 
  friends to the Alcheminary without incident, but all ﬁve 
  are armed with weapons, numerous alchemical items, and 
  horns to sound the alarm should any undesirables darken 
  the alchemists’ doorstep.
  Upon ﬁrst glance, Saragun’s seems smaller than it 
  actually is, because of the sizable clearing around it. That 
  is merely an optical illusion, however. The castle walls are 
  at least ninety yards on each side. Its exterior curtain wall 
  is massive—two-and-a-half stories high and forty feet 
  thick—and would be a formidable defense even without 
  the crenelated battlements and the gatehouse. The gates 
  are still impressive, but since the Count’s fall they are 
  closed. The road comes straight out of the forest then 
  loops east, toward the river, and around to the gatehouse 
  on the eastern wall.
  Gatehouse & Guards
  The gatehouse is the primary defense for the Alcheminary, 
  and its only known entry or exit (unless you can ﬂy). The 
  three-story high gatehouse has two sets of portcullis, an 
  exterior and interior set of doors (with beams for barring), 
  and many arrow loops, murder holes, and dead drops 
  to ensure that those who enter with open malice will not 
  reach the inner courtyard. The third ﬂoor of the gatehouse 
  is the guard ofﬁcers’ quarters, while the bulk of the guard 
  are billeted in barracks within the southeastern wall.
  In all, there are 60 guards here with eight senior 
  ofﬁcers, led by Jaurm Adenson, who is a paladin like 
  his famous father [LG hm Paladin12]. Aside from a few 
  ofﬁcers, the guards are ﬁrst to fourth level NPC Warriors. 
  Two patrols of ﬁve men each act as sentries over the road 
  and the surrounding hills, operating on eight-hour shifts 
  around the clock. The guards have access to well-made 
  arms and armor, but only the ofﬁcers (or the senior staff of 
  the alcheminary) can provide them with special items from 
  one of three Alchemories—where the alchemical weapons 
  are kept. The smallest of these is on the second ﬂoor of the 
  gatehouse, along with murder hole drop rooms.
  Many guards grow bored of the rather lax duties, 
  as Saragun’s hasn’t come under attack for more than a 
  decade, but locals who wish to become warriors or guards 
  in other places endure a mandatory service here of three 
  years. After that time, each is gifted with armor and a 
  weapon, alchemically strengthened and thus a worthy 
  prize. The other duty the guards fulﬁll is to act as escorts 
  for the biannual caravans of alchemical supplies or crafts, 
  taken to the spring and harvest festivals in the riverside 
  city of Thyrchport to the northeast. 
  The Walls
  The block-like walls are massive, constructed to repel 
  the many enemies made by the counts of Lhyndess over 
  the years. Luckily, Saragun and his friends and students 
  have found many uses for the overbuilt castle’s defenses. 
  T
  his chapter provides a setting and a school 
  where anyone can learn alchemy from its most 
  basic classes to its most advanced heights. 
  While not prone to boasting, the faculty claims 
  that more than one of each type of Alchana 
  Stone has been crafted here, a fact not challenged by any 
  other site or school.
  We’ll explore the castle and lands on which the 
  alcheminary rests, take a tour of the campus, and then 
  explore the coursework and studies expected of all students 
  of the transformative arts. Finally, there are three prestige 
  classes at the chapter’s end, which reﬂect the three ways to 
  learn advanced alchemy here at the Alcheminary.
  Ready to learn more hands-on knowledge of alchemy? 
  First, a history lesson:
  Tors Vhurinness
  N
  obody uses this old term anymore, preferring 
  to call the whole complex “Saragun’s” or 
  “the Alcheminary.” The ancient name links 
  the three baronies of Lhyndess—Vhural, Rinnath, and 
  Soress—and made this the seat of power from which the 
  Counts of Lhyndess ruled with an iron ﬁst. They ruled 
  for generations, until the appearance of Truth’s Arms 
  one hundred and seventeen years ago. The adventuring 
  company—Saragun the wizard, Tarasta the druid-sorcerer, 
  Ikarn the rogue-ranger, Khalq the barbarian warrior, and 
  Aden the paladin—rose from the local villages of Howling 
  Mill and Wheatsford to oppose and defeat the evil Count 
  Barrick and his three corrupt barons.
  Saragun and his friends took up residence here (and 
  in the baronial villas, one of which is detailed as Tarasta’s 
  School of Herbalism in Chapter 4) but decided not to 
  rename the castle. The jet black stone of the castle starkly 
  contrasts with the lush green pines and other plants of the 
  high foothills it looks down upon. The stone was mined 
  from quarries in the low mountains, less than a mile 
  away, and dragged here stone by stone as a monument 
  to the power of Lhyndess and its count. The ﬁve towers 
  represented the three baronies, the county, and the count, 
  so it was ﬁtting that the Count’s tower and one of the 
  barony towers fell during the siege of Tors Vhuriness and 
  Barrick’s defeat. 
  The ﬁve towers now stand tall once again, but as a 
  monument to alchemy and goodness. The castle commands 
  the crest of a high foothill and looks down upon cleared 
  hills for four hundred yards until the forest’s edge to the 
  south. Behind the castle and to its west are the rough rocky 
  hills and lower mountains of the Jhaanspeaks, while the 
  eastern walls look upon a loop of the River Thyrch. Unlike 
  the woods surrounding Tarasta’s, no druids or centaurs 
  occupy the sector of the Thyrlbane Woods surrounding the 
  Alcheminary. However, the guards of Saragun’s do have 
  two wandering patrols (one mounted on the road, one on 
  foot among the trees and hills) keeping the approaches to 
  the castle safe at all times. 
  Approaching the high-walled castle is still intimidating, 
  given its grim black stone walls, though colorful banners 
  of a red lion, a black eagle, and a white phoenix adorn the 
  outer walls over the gate, and ﬂags with those designs ﬂy 
  from various towers as well. The black is also broken by 
  sunlight reﬂected off silver shingling on the keep roof, and 
  Saragun’s Alcheminary
  
  10
  Despite any other notes, guards still man the battlements 
  at all times, roughly one guard per hundred feet of wall, 
  and the small chambers directly beneath the battlements 
  are still for guards, shallow ﬁve-foot deep rooms with 
  arrow loops and pour spouts for siege defense. An eight-
  foot wide corridor runs between the outer defense rooms 
  and the rooms on the inner walls, which are ﬁfteen feet 
  deep. The outer wall itself is four feet thick.
  The guards’ main armory is on the ground ﬂoor of 
  the central keep, while much smaller secondary armories 
  occupy at least one room in each of the walls and in the 
  gatehouse. These only contain normal arms and armor, 
  while the Alchemories hold the special equipment (and are 
  found in the keep, the gatehouse, and the north tower).
  The Black Wing—the School of Transformation and 
  the focal point for black alchemy—takes up the interior of 
  the entire western wall, opposite the gates. The classrooms 
  are on the ground ﬂoor and dormitories are on the second 
  ﬂoor.
  The northern and southern walls have various military 
  or scholastic purposes. There are numerous rooms used 
  for storage, others for temporary quarters (or for requested 
  isolation), and still others for reception areas or rooms for 
  school guests.
  The Central Keep
  Resting amid its more striking corner towers, the ﬁve-
  sided keep shares no walls with the exterior curtain 
  wall—a mark of the former counts’ paranoia as well as 
  their excessive spending. The keep rises three levels 
  high, while its corner towers rise two levels above the 
  keep’s silvered gables. Within this massive building lies 
  the kitchens, pantries, and common rooms used by all 
  Chapter 2
  
  11
  within Saragun’s walls, heartily lit and heated by massive 
  braziers at all times.
  The central common rooms and four separate libraries 
  dominate the ﬁrst ﬂoor. One common room has tables and 
  equipment for low-level experiments, while the second 
  common room is arranged as a lecture hall and with many 
  chairs set up around a small central space and podium. 
  The libraries are open to all students, though the books 
  cannot be removed at any time. They are organized by 
  subject: the Past and Peoples Library contains Histories, 
  Biographies, and Dynasties; the World Library covers 
  Geography and Geology; the Life Library handles Nature 
  and Fauna; and “The Library” is the General Library 
  Alchemica (and busier than all the rest combined). 
  The second ﬂoor houses the kitchens, the larders and 
  pantries, and the apartments of the common staff, from 
  the maids and chamberlains to the cooks and librarians. 
  The third ﬂoor contains the school’s massive dining 
  halls—one large utilitarian one for everyday meals, a 
  formal dining hall (called the Great Hall) for special 
  occasions and important visitors, and a smaller dining 
  hall for the senior staff only. Wide corridors lined with 
  artworks and sculptures, either commissioned by the 
  Alcheminary or left after the count’s fall, separate these 
  halls. 
  The Towers
  The ﬁve towers of the keep have both internal and external 
  entries and stairwells, so they can be independent or part 
  of the keep as needed. All are the same jet-black stone as 
  the rest of the keep and castle complex, though two stand 
  out as different (see below). All share these characteristics: 
  multiple ﬂoors, windows limited to arrow loops below the 
  third level, and the top two ﬂoors used as personal quarters 
  of some kind. There may also be alchemical treatments 
  integrated into their walls (see Chapter 7—Alchemortars), 
  but which ones and where are unknown.
  The most striking of the ﬁve is The White Tower—
  home to the School of Enlightenment and the center for 
  white alchemy—as it contrasts its fellow towers. The 
  tower is built of the same stone as the rest of the castle, 
  but its color was alchemically changed to white after 
  the Alcheminary’s founding, to suit the new school. The 
  former Count’s tower, the lower ﬂoors are classrooms, 
  with two ﬂoors of dormitory cells for students, and the top 
  ﬂoor holds the apartments of the White Mistress and her 
  family. The White Tower is the northeastern tower, to the 
  right of the keep’s gate, and near its base is the Inﬁrmary.
  The tower at the back of the castle—The Red Tower—
  is also distinct, though not as sharply. Its stone was 
  also transformed by early red alchemists, turned deep 
  crimson as dried blood to highlight its use as the home 
  of the Lions’ School—the Lion is the symbol for a uniﬁed 
  alchemist. This was the second tower to be rebuilt after the 
  siege (the White Tower was the ﬁrst). This northwestern 
  tower looms near the Black Wing and their school, but the 
  Lions keep within the tower and the central keep. The Red 
  Master’s chambers top this tower.
  Star Tower is the next tower of note—its rooms serve 
  as smaller classrooms for all the schools, but its top ﬂoor 
  is not living quarters but an astronomical observatory. 
  The tower’s placement, directly in line with the gatehouse 
  and set atop the high point within the partially sloping 
  grounds, makes it the tallest of the towers. A strictly 
  mechanical contrivance allows the shingled roof to be 
  winched open to allow full access to the sky and stars.
  The other towers are West Tower (actually the 
  southwest tower), which offers graduate students better 
  accommodations than underclassmen, and South Tower 
  (actually in the southeast corner) which provides additional 
  classrooms, bunks and common rooms for guests, and 
  reception areas for parties not held in the Great Hall.
  The Castle Grounds
  T
  he grounds are enclosed by the curtain wall, 
  which is roughly 200 feet per side. The keep and 
  towers dominate the grounds and take up half the 
  available area. Still, many support buildings exist between 
  the keep and the gatehouse (or nestled alongside the 
  towers and keep walls for support).
  In general, the castle grounds are gravel-covered and 
  busy with foot trafﬁc at all times of day. There are a few 
  small gardens inside the walls for emergency use, but the 
  majority of the Alcheminary’s food is grown outside the 
  northern wall or brought from nearby farms and villages. 
  Stables
  Set just inside to the right of the gatehouse entry is the 
  large stables with room for 40 horses; the stablehands live 
  above in the loft. There are two dozen horses here at all 
  times, all for the use of the guards. Students staying for 
  less than a month can stable a mount here for 1 sp/day 
  plus 3 cp/day for feed.
  Thuran’s Smithy
  Smoke always curls about the smithy and forge, which is 
  just to the left of the gatehouse. Three master smiths—the 
  Brothers Dhuvan—work here, and their wares are sought 
  after for miles around. Half the ground ﬂoor is the forge 
  and smithy; another quarter is the sales area to show off 
  weapons, armor, and such. The last area is merely enclosed 
  storage for raw materials: metals, charcoal, and the like.
  Thuran has long since died, but his name lives on with 
  the smithy he founded after the end of his adventuring 
  career as a Truth’s Arms henchman. Thuran learned 
  blacksmithing and his sons all learned alchemy to 
  enhance the works they forged by their father’s side. The 
  current brothers are the great-grandsons of Thuran, and 
  they continue the legacy of strong, clean metalworking 
  begun by their ancestor. Thuran the Younger is the eldest 
  brother, and he is the swordsmith among them [N hm 
  NPC Expert12]. The twins Hosam [NE hm NPC Expert8] 
  and Choll [NG hm NPC Expert9] are polar opposites—
  Hosam’s specialty is ﬁne work from jewelry to small 
  easily-hidden pins, while Choll embraces the general 
  trade (and busier work) of the blacksmith. Choll also has 
  an apprentice—Igam [CG hem NPC Commoner2]—he 
  hopes to train in armorsmithing to replace their recently 
  deceased uncle Fared.
  The Infirmary 
  The white-washed wattle-and-daub building nestled 
  close to the White Tower is the hospital, inﬁrmary, and 
  apothecary for the Alcheminary. At all times, there are 
  two trained apothecaries and two students from Tarasta’s 
  School (sent here for on-the-job training). Students of the 
  School of Enlightenment do some work and learning here 
  as well. The hospital has a score of beds in a long common 
  room on the second ﬂoor, and the resident students or 
  Saragun’s Alcheminary
  
  12
  Chapter 2
  
  13
  practicing apothecaries have apartments on the upper 
  ﬂoor. The ground ﬂoor is for treatment, along with herbal 
  and medicinal supply stores.
  The Chapel
  Once dedicated to the evil god of dominance and 
  corruption revered by the former counts, this chapel has 
  been stripped of its religious reliquaries and symbols. Its 
  grounds have been deconsecrated and puriﬁed by clerics, 
  paladins, and alchemists alike. Now it is used as a chapel 
  for individuals choosing to pray without formal services. 
  Its gray marble contrasts with the castle’s looming black 
  walls, but the small chapel is only a single story and tucked 
  into the southwest corner of the grounds. Rumors still hint 
  at the presence of great treasures sacriﬁced to the dread 
  gods the chapel once celebrated. Still, after a century no 
  such riches have yet to be found.
  Other Sites & Buildings
  There are a few smaller buildings for basic storage, 
  living quarters for support staff and faculty alike, and 
  supplementary services. A small glaziers’ kiln and shop is 
  attached to one side of the smithy (they sometimes share 
  the forge) for Jalk One-Eye [LN hm NPC Expert 14], the 
  maker of all the special glassware used by the alchemists 
  (not to mention his bright blue glass eye). A barn and 
  fenced pens lurk within the walls in the southeastern 
  corner, behind the glaziers’ and one of the small gardens; 
  the cows and sheep generally graze outside the walls, but 
  they’re kept here during the winter or during attacks. 
  Unlike the herbalism school, Saragun’s has to rely on 
  external help for their pottery and other commodities such 
  as beeswax, honey and ﬁsh. In all, there are about sixty 
  servants and support staff within the alcheminary; about 
  a third of them share one building in the northeastern 
  corner of the grounds alongside the stables—a three-story 
  building with apartments and rooms for them and their 
  families.
  The Staff and Faculty
  Unlike the cozy and almost-homey quality of the villa 
  that houses Tarasta’s School (Chapter 4), Saragun’s 
  Alcheminary feels distant, scholarly, and aloof. Thus, the 
  students rarely interact with the school heads or their 
  professors outside of lectures and laboratories, unless said 
  students show extraordinary ability beyond their years. 
  Many of the senior staff and faculty are busy with their 
  own personal experiments and studies, unless they are 
  handling accelerated tutoring for adventurers and nobles.
  There is a broad array of faculty here at the 
  Alcheminary, and not all of them stay in residence. Thus, 
  sections are taught by groups of professors and their 
  lecturer-assistants. Far more is known about the assistant 
  lecturers from personal contact with the student body, 
  while the senior staff is known by notoriety, rumor, and 
  reputation more than ﬁrsthand knowledge.
  Lastly, some expectations simply are not fulﬁlled 
  by the Alcheminary. Students sometimes expect to ﬁnd 
  professors teaching about the Alchana Stones or the 
  greater works, but there have never been codiﬁed lessons 
  on these topics—such advanced knowledge has always 
  been left to individual study and research.
  The Black Wing
  School of Transformation
  Senior professors and lecturers alike respect and answer 
  to the Black Eagle, said to be the most powerful alchemist 
  among all those at Saragun’s. Luckily he is a modest and 
  fair man, despite his great power and accomplishments. 
  Thaurl Rujjin crafted a Sorcerer’s Stone fourteen years 
  ago and a Philosopher’s Stone only last year. He has 
  since shared any and all beneﬁts from them with the 
  Alcheminary and with his lifelong friend and companion 
  Corroldan, the Red Lion and head of the Alcheminary. 
  Thaurl’s reputation includes great acts of charity but 
  hints at some grave errors and secrets from his youth. 
  Aside from the Black Eagle (who rarely teaches anymore), 
  there are only three black alchemist professors currently 
  on hand, the others either being part-time teachers and 
  adventurers or advisors to local rulers. The current 
  resident professors among the senior staff include the 
  following (their assistants noted beneath them):
  • 
  Professor of Metals and Minerals—Rautak the 
  Brown is severe and vulture-like, and rumors of 
  calciﬁed internal organs explain away his cruelty to 
  unprepared students. His specialty of locksmithing 
  also fuels student guesses that he began his life as 
  a thief in the streets of Thyrchport, a notoriety he 
  neither conﬁrms nor denies. Despite his reputation 
  as a curmudgeon and a martinet, many former 
  students praise his tough methods and remember 
  everything he taught them, even decades later.
  o Senior Lecturer Arluk Densmore [NE halfm Rogue 
  3/Wizard 6/Black Alchemist 8] works well with 
  Rautak, as they are both severe in temper and 
  actions. The red-haired halﬂing, however, also 
  spends time sneaking around and gathering gossip 
  and potential blackmail on students and faculty 
  alike. Arluk sees his way of promoting alchemy 
  and seeking perfection as rooting out imperfections 
  in others and either using them to his advantage 
  or exposing them to weed out those unworthy of 
  his teaching. He does not see the dichotomy of 
  his thinking, nor has anyone managed to gain the 
  upper hand on him.
  o Junior Lecturer Bavrim Choarln [LN gf Sorcerer 
  5/Wizard 2/Black Alchemist 4] hates Arluk for his 
  schemes, but dares not act against him for fear of 
  losing her position. The gnome is a ﬁne teacher and 
  is among the more beloved of the junior faculty, 
  but she is most comfortable (and most often found) 
  with her close friends at Thuran’s Smithy. She is a 
  former adventuring comrade to Burrel of Howling 
  Mills and the pair’s late-night arguments of black 
  vs. white alchemical ideals are legendary.
  • 
  The chubby and unpleasantly morose Professor 
  of Lesser Alchana (Augmentation and Alloys) is 
  Orrib Haunsith, whose bronzed skin comes not 
  from the sun but from a long-ago experiment 
  gone wrong, leaving him partially metallicized. 
  Orrib is constantly nervous and paranoid about 
  his position, about what people say of him, and 
  about making more mistakes. Thus, while he 
  commands much ability, his own doubts and 
  fears keep him and his classes on a very careful 
  and conservative path. The only place he feels 
  conﬁdence and pride is when he has the chance 
  to ply his old trade as an armorsmith (but his 
  schedule rarely allows that).
  Saragun’s Alcheminary
  
  14
  o Senior Lecturer Iamar Tzrolson [CG hf NPC 
  Noble 5/Wizard 3/Black Alchemist 7] was 
  raised in nearby countries, a granddaughter 
  of the exiled corrupt regime of previous years. 
  After her husband and brothers died attempting 
  to reinstate the former barony, she abandoned 
  that life and learned wizardy and then alchemy. 
  Now Iamar seeks to restore her personal wealth 
  through alchemical knowledge. Her ultimate 
  goal for that wealth, however, is to help the 
  people her family once oppressed.
  • Nicknamed the Grey Lady behind her back, 
  Aura Shesslyntyr is constantly covered with 
  proof of her position as senior Professor of Dusts, 
  Powders, Chymicals, and Compounds. Absent-
  minded both by genius and from age, she is still 
  sharply focused on her research and whatever 
  conundrum occupies her thoughts at the 
  moment. Her lecturers keep her from harm, help 
  her record her teachings, and keep her students 
  informed. Aura was once the most beautiful 
  woman of the three baronies, and she still retains 
  that beauty beneath her wrinkles and grey hair.
  o Senior Lecturer Lequin Sarox [CE hm Wizard 
  9/Black Alchemist 8] merely bides his time 
  here, gaining knowledge and power and 
  building contacts among the more avaricious 
  students. While he works directly for Professor 
  Shesslyntyr, Lequin often steals away to dredge 
  up knowledge others might keep from him. The 
  senior faculty is aware of Lequin’s megalomania 
  but Corroldan has convinced them that he is 
  less dangerous here where they may keep him 
  in check. Aura hopes that their teachings may 
  temper his power fantasies and lead him toward 
  the perfection his talents show is in his future. 
  o Junior Lecturer Carrol Stangar [CG gnm Sorcerer 
  3/Fighter 3/Black Alchemist 4] is the newest 
  junior faculty, only hired this summer after rising 
  to his current level. The diminutive gnome is 
  often kidded by others among the junior faculty, 
  including some halﬂings taller than him. While 
  this is a sore point for him, his love of alchemy 
  and learning has helped alleviate the temper that 
  drove him to be a furious warrior a decade ago. 
  He also sees the quest for material perfection as 
  one which can counteract his lack of height.
  • At various times the Black Wing also has 
  professors and lecturers on the following topics: 
  Chromatics and Colors; Heat, Temperature, 
  and Altered States of Matter; Magical Materials 
  and Alchemical Antidotes; Poisons and Toxins; 
  Brewing Commonalities, from Ales to Waxes; 
  and others. 
  The White Tower
  School of Enlightenment
  The Phoenix is her ofﬁcial title, though most call 
  her the White Mistress. Ashaer Dovesfriend has a 
  public persona as a peaceful, calm graceful human 
  who heals the sick and has made herself immortal. 
  The latter is true, and the Healer’s Stone afﬁxed 
  to the silver-chain belt about her waist keeps 
  her a comely woman in her mid-30s. But Ashaer 
  shocks many students with her coarse language 
  and matter-of-fact nature, and with her delight in 
  dallying with guest lecturers (or even students) decades 
  younger than her actual 94 years.
  Like the School of Transformation, the faculty in 
  residence for the White Tower is small, with only three 
  Real-World Alchemy
  A
  lchemy in our world gave rise to what we now 
  call science and technology, and many of its 
  methods—if not its goals or philosophies—still 
  remain part of the scientiﬁc method. If not for 
  the Hermetic Arts—named so after Hermes 
  Trismegistus, the patron saint of alchemy—Isaac Newton might 
  not have deduced the theory of gravity, Dr. John Dee might be 
  a mere footnote rather than one of Elizabethan England’s more 
  notorious ﬁgures, and many things we take for granted, be they 
  medicines or distilled spirits, might not have come into being. 
  Alchemy was, in a great sense, the ﬁrst true science of our 
  world, dating back to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The primary 
  goal was always a better understanding of our world and the 
  matter from which it was constructed. That’s still true within 
  the magical and fantastic scope of all d20 worlds, though adding 
  magic to the mix allows us a large bit of leeway to use alchemy in 
  its more extraordinary sense.
  There are numerous deviations between the beliefs 
  and understandings of real world alchemy and what I’ve 
  written herein. Here are some of the major departures and 
  distinctions, made either for the sake of game play or for ease of 
  understanding:
  · 
  While there was classically only one alchemical stone 
  of note—the Philosopher’s Stone—there were ﬁve classic colors 
  in Alchemy, as well as the eastern beliefs in the Elixir of Life as 
  an alchemical goal. I’ve merged all of these concepts together so 
  that the goal of alchemists the world over is the Five Stones. Of 
  course, for game play, I needed other effects beyond just creating 
  gold or immortality serums, thus the different Stones and their 
  impacts.
  · 
  Alchemists believed the world’s matter could be broken 
  down into spirit and energy, mercury (which they believed to be 
  a near-magical metal and close to prima material), and the four 
  classic elements of air, earth, ﬁre, and water.
  · 
  In our world, the greatest secrets of alchemy and the 
  universe were arcana (or, singularly, Arcanum). For the sake 
  of not adding confusion to the D20 game system, I’ve taken to 
  calling these alchana and alchanum. 
  · 
  The timing for performing alchemical processes is crucial 
  due to the inﬂuences the planets, moons, and stars (astrology) 
  have on the materials linked to them, as well as their effect on 
  the base purity of all things. Since we rarely, if ever, discuss the 
  cosmology and star patterns of our ﬁctional d20 worlds, it is 
  impossible to link this aspect of alchemy into our ﬁctional work.
  · 
  While there are many books on the secrets of alchemy, 
  many of the original texts and sources held back basic secrets. 
  Thus, we’re not certain exactly who created what, discovered 
  what, etc. Nicholas Flamel or Frater Albertus may have created 
  Philosopher’s Stones, but we’ll never know for certain, as their 
  works (understandably) do not reveal all. In any case, where facts 
  or histories fail, legend and fantasy can easily ﬁll the gaps.
  There are whole libraries’ worth of books on alchemy in 
  our world, and, like most topics, not all of them agree. It’s an 
  interesting study to ﬁnd a few of these books and use what they 
  say to expand the ﬁctions written here. Look to the Bastion Press 
  website for some supplementary reading materials, if you wish. 
  The bibliography for both alchemy and herbalism books should 
  provide you with hours more enjoyment and esoteric education, 
  if that’s what you’re after. 
  Chapter 2
  
  15
  senior faculty including the Phoenix. Thus, the lecturers 
  and graduate students shoulder the bulk of the teaching. 
  • 
  Professor of Comparative Humanoid Biology 
  and Life Sciences, Usael Leavesoar is the eldest 
  of all the beings at Saragun’s and has been 
  here since a year after its founding. He prefers 
  a philosophical life rather than one of heavy 
  responsibility, which is why he remains in this 
  post and not as headmaster. He shares his beliefs 
  with his students and readers, as Usael is among 
  the more proliﬁc of writers on this continent. His 
  books—eight volumes at present—on comparing 
  the races are required reading both here at the 
  Alcheminary and in many learning institutions 
  worldwide. Usael’s chief argument—one central 
  to alchemy and proven in his work—is that 
  life is life and only cosmetic differences keep 
  us from seeing that and uniting as one. Much 
  of his coursework, while linked to learning the 
  alchemical secrets of the body, shows that there 
  are far more biological and chymical similarities 
  among the sentient races than any care to admit. 
  o Kataph Quillson [N hm Cleric 3/
  Sorcerer 4/White Alchemist 4], Junior 
  Lecturer and current assistant to Usael, 
  is handsome, highly intelligent, and 
  immensely talented in alchemy, sorcery, 
  and divinity studies. To his detriment, 
  he knows all this and is among the most 
  arrogant beings in existence. His classes, 
  while informative and in keeping 
  with the syllabus, often digress into 
  self-congratulatory moments. He also 
  has a reputation for seducing female 
  students, resulting in embarrassing 
  incidents for the Alcheminary (and for 
  him, if he bothered to notice the impact 
  of his actions). Only the Phoenix’s 
  similar peccadilloes keep him from 
  being censured, and he counts on that 
  to protect his behavior.
  • 
  The Professor of Curatives, Medicinals, and 
  Health Promotions is Whelan, a graduate of 
  Tarasta’s School of Herbalism as well as one of 
  this institution, and one of the very few who have 
  devoted their lives to both alchemical and herbal 
  studies. He purposely keeps to himself, even 
  among other professors and lecturers, and offers 
  few hints as to his personal likes and dislikes. 
  In his classes, however, he becomes animated, 
  helpful, and supportive in teaching every possible 
  method of healing he can to his students. Given 
  his highly enigmatic nature, many speculate 
  that he’s up to some secret studies and may be 
  trying to make a Healer’s Stone. The Phoenix 
  suggests he might be a private individual save 
  for a small handful of conﬁdantes, and this has 
  others wondering about her inclinations toward 
  the distinguished and trim Whelan.
  o Senior Lecturer Burrel of Howling Mill 
  [LG hm Paladin 7/Wizard 2/White 
  Alchemist 7] tries to effect as private a 
  life as his mentor Whelan, but fails due 
  to his famous deeds as a champion who 
  saved many from the last orc horde to 
  pour out of the Jhaanspeaks. Despite his 
  subsequent fall from grace (thanks to a 
  dryad’s kiss), many see Burrel as a great 
  hero and seek to know him, an attitude 
  the alcheminary uses to recruit more 
  students. Burrel shoulders this burden 
  of fame well, but would prefer teaching 
  the healing of battle wounds or showing 
  the proper methods of sword forging 
  and repair to discussing the Battle of 
  Shalrock Pass yet again.
  The Red Tower/School of Unified Alchemy
  The Red Lion is the titular head of the Alcheminary as well 
  as the head of the general alchemists’ school. Corroldan 
  has been the partner and companion of Thaurl Rujjin, 
  the current Black Eagle, for more than 40 years, and their 
  union keeps the peace among the three once-warring 
  schools of the Alcheminary. Corroldan’s face and ﬁtness 
  belie his seven decades of adventures and alchemical 
  studies, as he seems younger than the Black Eagle, who is 
  9 years his junior. Some hint that he has a secret Healer’s 
  Stone along with the Alchemist’s Stone he wears openly 
  as a pendant, but Corroldan simply shrugs enigmatically 
  whenever questioned on his health and appearance.
  • 
  Professor of Histories Alchemic and Otherwise, 
  Chereptar the Crimson has made his reputation 
  as one of Saragun’s (and County Lhyndess’) 
  merriest and most popular of souls, despite 
  the tragedies in his life. The former wizard and 
  advisor to many kings—due as much to his 
  knowledge of history and artifacts of the past 
  as to his wizardry or alchemy—lost his legs to 
  a remorhaz in the Phumarran Mountains 20 
  years ago, and has been a ﬁxture at Saragun’s 
  Alcheminary ever since. He also acts as the 
  primary librarian for the Alcheminary and has 
  an encyclopedic knowledge of the books and all 
  they contain.
  o Junior Lecturer Paltoub [LN hm Ranger 
  2/Wizard 4/Black Alchemist 5] is an 
  eager, almost overzealous student and 
  lecturer on the history of alchemy and 
  its applied arts. A longtime illiterate 
  among the woodsmen of his village, 
  Paltoub learned to read from a friendly 
  wizard’s teachings and has had a deep 
  passion for reading and for books ever 
  since. He sees a path toward perfection 
  in ﬁnding ways to improve books and 
  strengthen them to avoid the problems 
  of deteriorating paper, mildew, and rot. 
  He hopes to learn to Perfect Materials 
  soon enough to create steel-strong 
  papers and books, and thus endear 
  himself to Chereptar the librarian.
  • 
  Professor Vyrra Chelax, formerly of Thrychport, 
  is more noted for her recently begun romance 
  with Chereptar the Crimson than for her 
  aptitudes as Professor of Unguents, Topicals and 
  Potions. Her normal calm demeanor fails before 
  the scrutiny of nosy students and fellow teachers, 
  and only Chereptar’s laughter about the matter 
  defuses her temper. Vyrra’s abilities as a cleric of 
  a god of magic make her among the few here to 
  argue the divine aspects of alchemy, which she 
  only discusses outside the classrooms. Inside, 
  her classes are noted for their efﬁciency despite 
  Saragun’s Alcheminary
  
  16
  her insistence on allowing any and all methods 
  to be tried (within reason and under controlled 
  circumstances). Vyrra’s main method of teaching 
  is showing that learning comes from failures as 
  well as successes.
  o Senior Lecturer Lex Khronson [CN hm 
  Sorcerer 7/Black Alchemist 8] originally 
  came to Saragun’s to learn from Vyrra 
  and in hopes that she might return the 
  hidden affection he held for the older 
  woman. Her current relationship with 
  the librarian has Lex distracted, hurt, 
  and at a loss of direction, as he saw the 
  path to perfection in his uniting with her. 
  Others have noticed his snappishness 
  and a drop in his productivity, and 
  his students bear the brunt of his 
  temperamental outbursts, though none 
  guess as to their true source. Lex’s crisis 
  of faith has him spending each night 
  in prayer in the Chapel, as he debates 
  transferring 
  to 
  the 
  Red 
  Alchemy 
  school.
  • 
  Senior Lecturer Tara Pallyss [LE hef Wizard 
  9/Red Alchemist 9] should have been made 
  a Professor more than two years ago, but 
  personality frictions between her and Corroldan 
  keep him from promoting her to the position, in 
  hopes of ﬁnding another more suitable to the job 
  as Professor of Materials and Magic Uniﬁcation. 
  Tara’s restrictive classroom methods promote a 
  very singular view on how to wed alchemy with 
  magics, and while effective, Corroldan wants his 
  students to remain more open to other options (a 
  view that rankles Tara, whose single-mindedness 
  keeps her from the rest of her family at Tarasta’s 
  School as well).
  • 
  There are numerous other professors among the 
  Lions, far more so than any of the other schools, 
  and their tasks, classes, and specialties often 
  overlap with professors of the other schools. 
  GMs are encouraged to create new NPCs for 
  the senior and junior faculties in order to show 
  players the sorts of academic intrigues and 
  headaches possible among those learned souls 
  whose opinions are a razor’s edge different but 
  worlds apart in their own minds. 
  Syllabus Alchemicus
  S
  aragun established a rigorous but fair curriculum 
  over a century ago with the alcheminary’s 
  founding, and that syllabus is still in place. In 
  the lands that have heard of the Alcheminary, alchemists 
  are often ranked by how many years of study they put 
  in there before they took up the profession. After all, a 
  working alchemist of ﬁve years’ study is not going to have 
  as comprehensive a background nor be able to answer 
  as many questions as one more learned, even though 
  both of them can perform the same activities for PCs. In 
  our world’s terms, you can look for alchemists with a 
  bachelor’s degree, some master’s work, or perhaps track 
  down a (more expensive) doctoral student of alchemy.
  Remember that this syllabus is for beginning students, 
  not anyone already trained in alchemy. If you enter as 
  a general student and have a rank or more of alchemy 
  among your skills, you’ll spend the ﬁrst year or more 
  relearning what you already know. 
  The only requirements for entering students is some 
  understanding of, and respect for, working with materials. 
  In game terms, they must have at least one of the following 
  skills at two ranks or higher: Craft (Smith [ﬁnesmith, 
  locksmith, whitesmith, swordsmith, or armorsmith]); 
  Profession (Apothecary, Brewer, Herbalist, or Smith).
  Students at Saragun’s must also pay tuition and 
  room and board. The fees are 600 gp per annum, plus 
  any material costs for experiments during the ﬁrst year. 
  Each successive year adds an additional 200 gp due to 
  expanding materials use and more expansive knowledge 
  (800 gp second year, 1,000gp third year).
  First Year
  As novice students, the ﬁrst year teaches apprentice-level 
  materials and the basics of alchemy. While no ranks are 
  gained in Craft (Alchemy) during this course of study, 
  students do gain one rank of Knowledge (Nature) by 
  year’s end, as they learn the broad concepts of matter and 
  life before learning how to transform and change it all. 
  From a professional standpoint, even the washout 
  students of Saragun’s have some use in society. Having 
  learned the rudimentary basics of alchemical processes 
  (see Chapter 1), any student who managed at least six 
  months of study has one rank in Profession (Brewer). This 
  is a balancing factor Saragun placed in the curriculum, 
  both to maintain enough ales and beers for the alcheminary 
  and the local village pubs and also to make sure that any 
  student who failed to grasp alchemy still gained a trade 
  out of his time at Saragun’s.
  Second Year
  Second year students acquire the elementary-level 
  teachings of alchemy, gaining their ﬁrst rank of Craft 
  (Alchemy) early in the year and a second rank by year’s 
  end.
  As stated above, students gain their ﬁrst ranks of 
  Craft (Alchemy) during their second year. From a basic 
  standpoint, they can perform any and all actions linked 
  to the core skill in the Player’s Handbook. Obviously, they 
  cannot do them as well as more practiced and more 
  learned alchemists, but they’ve reached the bare minimum 
  of knowledge at which they can consider themselves 
  alchemists (if not exactly professional alchemists).
  Third Year 
  By third year, students begin learning more specialized 
  knowledge of substances and expand their studies into 
  particular paths that interest them. They can still perform 
  and expand their general knowledge of alchemy, but most 
  become focused on one or two types of materials for this 
  year.
  In short, this is the year students look to temporary 
  “majors” and spend months studying only poisons and 
  toxins, for example, until the Craft Toxins feat is learned. 
  Then they move on to another ﬁeld of study. Usually by 
  the end of third year, students have added at least two 
  ranks of Craft (Alchemy) and a minimum of one of the 
  alchemical Item Creation feats, if not two. 
  Third year tends to be the last year for general students 
  at Saragun’s Alcheminary, and they can graduate and 
  depart to ply their trades as alchemists (and/or brewers 
  Chapter 2
  
  17
  with a secret). Many, however, become fascinated by the 
  calling of alchemy and stay on (at increased costs) to learn 
  more from the masters.
  Graduate Studies & Beyond
  Any students wishing to continue their schooling can do so, 
  learning individual feats or adopting any one of the three 
  prestige classes for which they meet the prerequisites.
  PCs and NPCs alike can opt to simply learn one of 
  the alchemical feats from the appropriate teachers here, if 
  they meet the prerequisites. Under normal circumstances, 
  learning any of the Item Creation feats in Chapter 6 would 
  take about 20-30 hours (3-4 days) and cost 100 gp plus the 
  cost of materials used in your classes.
  • 
  PCs can opt to fast-track their learning with 
  additional private tutoring sessions and/or access 
  to rarer works on alchemy. Accelerated 
  learning of an Item Creation feat 
  here costs 500 gp plus expenses 
  (usually 1d100 gp) but you 
  gain the feat with only 7-10 
  hours of class time (split 
  over 2 days).
  The Black Alchemist 
  M
  asters of all inanimate 
  matter, the black alchemists 
  have 
  sacriﬁced 
  much 
  knowledge and ability to speed themselves 
  toward their one true goal of creating the Five 
  Great Stones of Alchemy. To them, all matter 
  is equal, and such cosmetic differences as size, 
  texture, hardness, liquidity, or ﬂammability 
  are equally malleable and changeable. A 
  black alchemist sees no permanence in any 
  state or structure, only change waiting to be 
  triggered. 
  Black alchemists—or eagles as they 
  sometimes call themselves—are closest to 
  the classic alchemists, as their ultimate goals 
  do reach toward the puriﬁcation of matter to 
  gold. However, they do not stop with that but 
  search for the perfect form in all matter. Because 
  they must know materials to such a degree, 
  it is mandatory that the prospective black 
  alchemist already have some basic respect for 
  and knowledge of a craft that works with the 
  materials they hope to transmute. 
  Requirements
  To qualify to become a Black Alchemist, you 
  must meet the following criteria:
  Skills: Craft (Alchemy) 8 ranks; Craft (any 
  one of the following: Blacksmith, Carpentry, 
  Gemcutting, 
  Leatherworking, 
  Pottery, 
  Sculpture, Stonemasonry) 4 ranks. It is also 
  highly recommended that PCs put one or two 
  skill points each level into their Craft (Alchemy) 
  skill, in order to meet the prerequisites of many 
  feats gained in this prestige class.
  Feats:. Skill Focus [Craft (Alchemy)]
  Abilities: Ability to cast 2nd level spells 
  Class Skills
  The Black Alchemist’s class skills (and the key ability for 
  each skill) are Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft 
  (Int), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Geography) 
  (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Profession (Wis), and 
  Spellcraft (Int). 
  Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modiﬁer
  Hit Die: d6
  Class Features
  All of the following are class features of the black alchemist 
  prestige class.
  Weapon and Armor Proﬁciency: Alchemists gain no 
  proﬁciency in any armor or weapons. Note that armor 
  check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to 
  the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move 
  Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble.
  Spells per Day: A Black Alchemist 
  continues to study magic at the 
  same time he studies alchemy 
  and gains a level in spellcasting 
  knowledge with each level as 
  a Black Alchemist. He does 
  not, however, gain any other 
  beneﬁts a character of that class 
  would have gained (Hit points, 
  save bonuses, metamagic or 
  item creation feats, and so on). 
  For example, if Kaarva, a 5th level 
  wizard, gains his 1st level as an 
  Black Alchemist, she gains new 
  spells as if she had risen to 6th level 
  in wizard, but uses the other Black 
  Alchemist aspects of level progression such 
  as attack bonus and save bonus. If she next 
  gains a level of wizard, making her a 6th-level 
  wizard/1st-level Black Alchemist, she gains 
  and casts spells as if he had risen to 7th level 
  wizard. If a character had more than one 
  spellcasting class before she became an 
  Black Alchemist, she must decide which 
  class adds to her levels of Black Alchemist 
  for purposes of determining spells per 
  day.
  Bonus Feats: At every even level, Black 
  Alchemists gain a bonus Item Creation 
  feat tied to their specialties. If the character 
  does not meet the prerequisites for the feat, it 
  cannot be used until they are met (a character 
  may have knowledge of Create Alchana but 
  cannot use it until she gains Craft Wondrous 
  Item, etc.)
  Important: These feats are in addition to the 
  feat that a character of any class gets every 
  three levels (as per Table 3-2: Experience and 
  Level-Dependent Beneﬁts from Chapter 
  3 of the Player’s Handbook). The Black 
  Alchemist is not limited to the list given 
  here when choosing those feats.
  Enhanced Spellcraft: Due to the 
  black alchemist’s deep understanding of 
  matter and materials, he can gain beneﬁts 
  in spellcasting.
  o Enhanced Illusions: Illusory images of inanimate 
  objects are more sharply deﬁned and focused. 
  Saragun’s Alcheminary
  
  18
  Saving throw DCs are at +5 versus an opponent’s 
  disbelief or saves. 
  o Enhanced Transmutations: Due to the intensive 
  knowledge on matter gained, the alchemist can 
  boost the integrity of transmutations done via 
  spells. Saving throw DCs are at +1/2 levels for all 
  transmutation spells cast by the black alchemist. 
  The alchemist gains a +1 insight bonus toward 
  spell resistances in the same manner as spell 
  DCs.
  Note on Stonecrafting: Given the highly focused 
  attention put to inanimate matter, the black alchemist can 
  only create the following Alchana Stones using Create 
  Greater Alchana: Alchemist’s Stone, Mystic’s Stone, 
  Philosopher’s Stone.
  The White Alchemist
  W
  hite Alchemists, like their Black counterparts, still 
  seek puriﬁcation and perfection of matter, but 
  their focus is on living matter. To them, purity 
  and perfection can only be achieved by a sentient race 
  gifting itself with immortality and purifying one’s body 
  of all imperfections. Appropriately, white alchemists have 
  adopted the seal of the Phoenix to symbolize their quests 
  and their belief in immortality.
  The bulk of what a White Alchemist learns to create 
  and affect ties to biology, either of sentient or nonsentient 
  species. This knowledge eventually crosses from the animal 
  world into plants, since they all constitute living matter. 
  Potions, unguents, and creations that affect, change, and 
  perfect living matter are the standard creations and foci of 
  white alchemy. In contrast, they believe that the quest to 
  turn base metals into gold is foolish and arbitrary and is 
  less of a fully spiritual quest than their own.
  Rumors and wild stories about White Alchemists can 
  fuel the ﬁres of either people seeking them out for aid or 
  seeking to become a member. Tales of substances that 
  enhance any and all abilities would be the most basic, 
  leading to other tall tales of potions that render you 
  invulnerable in battle or capable of godlike deeds. Lastly, 
  from the commoners’ standpoints, simply thinking that 
  they might be able to help farmers regrow lost limbs or 
  restore the eyesight of the blind would be very common—
  and a potential role-playing nightmare if a town assumes 
  a PC can cure their ills and their tainted water supply.
  Requirements
  To qualify to become a White Alchemist, you must meet 
  the following criteria:
  Skills: Craft (Alchemy) 8 ranks, Heal 4 ranks, 
  Profession (Apothecary or Herbalist) 8 ranks
  Feats: Skill Focus [Craft (Alchemy)]
  Abilities: Ability to cast 2nd level spells 
  Class Skills
  The White Alchemist’s class skills (and the key ability for 
  each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle 
  Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (Geography) (Int), 
  Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive 
  (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int). See Chapter 4 in the Player’s 
  Handbook for skill descriptions.
  Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modiﬁer
  Hit Die: d6
  Class Features
  All of the following are class features for the white 
  alchemist:
  Weapon and Armor Proﬁciency: White Alchemists 
  gain no proﬁciency in any armor or weapons. Note that 
  armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather 
  apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, 
  Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble.
  Spells per Day: A White Alchemist continues to study 
  magic at the same time he studies alchemy and gains a 
  level in spellcasting knowledge with each level as a White 
  Alchemist. He does not, however, gain any other beneﬁts a 
  character of that class would have gained (Hit points, save 
  bonuses, metamagic or item creation feats, and so on). For 
  example, if Kaarva, a 5th level wizard, gains his 1st level as 
  a White Alchemist, she gains new spells as if she had risen 
  to 6th level in wizard, but uses the other White Alchemist 
  aspects of level progression such as attack bonus and save 
  bonus. If she next gains a level of wizard, making her a 
  6th-level wizard/1st-level White Alchemist, she gains and 
  casts spells as if he had risen to 7th level wizard. 
  If a character had more than one spellcasting class 
  before she became a White Alchemist, she must decide 
  which class adds to her levels of White Alchemist for 
  purposes of determining spells per day.
  Table 1: The Black Alchemist
  Lvl
  Base 
  Attack 
  Bonus
  Fort 
  Save
  Ref 
  Save
  Will 
  Save
  Special
  Spells per Day
  1
  +0
  +0
  +0
  +2
  Enhanced Illusions
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  2
  +1
  +0
  +0
  +3
  Craft Chymicals
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  3
  +1
  +1
  +1
  +3
  Enhanced Transmutations
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  4
  +2
  +1
  +1
  +4
  Create Alchana
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  5
  +2
  +2
  +2
  +4
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  6
  +3
  +2
  +2
  +5
  Perfect Materials
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  7
  +3
  +3
  +3
  +5
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  8
  +4
  +3
  +3
  +6
  Create Greater Alchana
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  9
  +4
  +4
  +4
  +6
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  10
  +5
  +4
  +4
  +7
  Craft Magic Arms & Armor
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  Chapter 2
  
  19
  Bonus Feats: At ﬁrst level and at every odd level 
  thereafter, White Alchemists gain a bonus Item Creation 
  feat tied to their specialties. If the character does not 
  meet the prerequisites for the feat, it cannot be used until 
  they are met (a character may have knowledge of Create 
  Alchana but cannot use it until she 
  gains Craft Wondrous Item, 
  etc.)
  Important: These feats are 
  in addition to the feat that a 
  character of any class gets 
  every three levels (as per 
  Table 3-2: Experience and 
  Level-Dependent 
  Beneﬁts 
  from Chapter 3 of the Player’s 
  Handbook). 
  The 
  White 
  Alchemist is not limited 
  to the list given here when 
  choosing those feats.
  Medicinals: The White 
  Alchemist can boost the 
  efﬁcacy of any healing 
  or 
  curative 
  substances, 
  whether they are herbal, 
  alchemical, or magical in 
  nature (potions, herbal 
  restoratives, use of the 
  Heal skill & healer’s 
  kit, etc.), due to expanded knowledge of healing and the 
  body.
  • 
  Enhance: The curative gains a +1 per die of 
  effectiveness for hit point restoration or it 
  provides the victim a +1 competence bonus on 
  an additional Fortitude save. 
  • 
  Perfect: The curative operates at maximum 
  efﬁciency and provides the best amount of 
  healing or medicine it is designed to do (totally 
  negate a poison, maximize a healing draught’s 
  effects, etc.).
  Note on Stonecrafting: As White Alchemists are 
  focused on adapting, perfecting, and healing organic and 
  living matter, they can only create the following Alchana 
  Stones (after gaining Create Greater Alchana and its 
  prerequisites): Alchemist’s Stone, Healer’s Stone.
  The Red Alchemist
  T
  he Eagles of black alchemy focus on metals and 
  materials. The Phoenixes of white alchemy obsess 
  over life, death, health, disease, rebirth, and all 
  their ramiﬁcations to alchemy and the purity of organic 
  matter and life. The study of red alchemy, signiﬁed by the 
  mark of the lion, acts as a rebis—a chymical wedding of 
  opposites—and straddles both these schools of thought. 
  This rebis creates a third truth among alchemists and their 
  philosophies, that there can be purity in energy and matter 
  together. Harnessing that purity grants the lion power 
  over the worlds of both the living and the dead. 
  Some view this as a three-tiered class, similar to 
  the way bards used to learn their craft haphazardly 
  and incrementally: acting as a black alchemist for a few 
  levels, then a white alchemist, before integrating 
  the teachings together. This is both true and 
  not true. While they share the paths of their 
  fellow alchemists for a time, the red 
  alchemists always focus on the unity 
  and integrity of alchemy as a way to 
  understand the world, its species, 
  and all matter and energy. 
  While students of black and 
  white alchemy see the other side as 
  foolish and rarely see past their own 
  rhetoric, the lions of red alchemy 
  know how close the two quests truly 
  Table 2: The White Alchemist
  Lvl
   Base 
  Attack 
  Bonus
  Fort 
  Save
  Ref 
  Save
  Will 
  Save
  Special 
  Spells per Day
  1
  +0
  +0
  +0
  +2
  Craft Toxins
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  2
  +1
  +0
  +0
  +3
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  3
  +1
  +1
  +1
  +3
  Brew Ingestibles
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  4
  +2
  +1
  +1
  +4
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  5
  +2
  +2
  +2
  +4
  Craft Powders & Dusts
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  6
  +3
  +2
  +2
  +5
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  7
  +3
  +3
  +3
  +5
  Craft Unguents
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  8
  +4
  +3
  +3
  +6
  Enhance Medicinals
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  9
  +4
  +4
  +4
  +6
  Craft Wondrous Items
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  10
  +5
  +4
  +4
  +7
  Perfect Medicinals
  +1 level to spellcasting class
  Saragun’s Alcheminary
  
  20
  are. The quest of red alchemy is the creation of all the Great 
  Stones, and since their knowledge is not limited by types 
  of matter or limiting dogma, red alchemists are the only 
  alchemists capable of creating all Five Alchana Stones.
  Requirements
  To qualify to become a Red Alchemist, you must meet the 
  following criteria:
  Skills: Craft (Alchemy) 8 ranks, Profession (Brewer )4 
  ranks, any one Craft skill 2 ranks
  Feats: Skill Focus [Craft (Alchemy)]
  Abilities: Ability to cast 2nd level spells 
  Class Skills
  The red alchemist’s class skills (and the key ability for 
  each skill) are Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft 
  (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge 
  (Geography (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Profession 
  (Wis),Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int). See Chapter 
  4 in the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
  Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modiﬁer
  Hit Die: d6
  Class Features
  The following are all class features for the red alchemists: 
  Weapon and Armor Proﬁciency: Alchemists gain no 
  proﬁciency in any armor or weapons. Note that armor 
  check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to 
  the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move 
  Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble.
  Spells per Day: A Red Alchemist continues to study 
  magic at the same time he studies alchemy and gains a 
  level in spellcasting knowledge with each level as a Red 
  Alchemist. He does not, however, gain any other beneﬁts a 
  character of that class would have gained (Hit points, save 
  bonuses, metamagic or item creation feats, and so on). For 
  example, if Kaarva, a 5th level wizard, gains his 1st level as 
  a Red Alchemist, she gains new spells as if she had risen 
  to 6th level in wizard, but uses the other Red Alchemist 
  aspects of level progression such as attack bonus and save 
  bonus. If she next gains a level of wizard, making her a 6th-
  level wizard/1st-level Red Alchemist, she gains and casts 
  spells as if he had risen to 7th level wizard. 
  If a character had more than one spellcasting class 
  before she became a Red Alchemist, she must decide which 
  PC Students of Alchemy
  P
  layer characters who choose to learn alchemy at the Alcheminary never gain status or favors among 
  the faculty from their adventuring (although they might be badgered for stories by younger students). 
  Like the work at Tarasta’s (Chapter 4), novice students must adhere to the standard operations and 
  procedures here at the alcheminary, which usually means a year or three, depending on the student’s 
  goals. 
  PCs can opt to pay a lot extra and shorten their time here with intensive work and private study with the senior 
  staff, but only if learning advanced studies such as one of the prestige classes. These classes can be entered when the 
  PC can choose a new level or class, and the learning is not automatic. 
  · 
  Private classes in advanced alchemy cost the desired level multiplied by 1500 gp. These costs offset the 
  expenses of materials and also pad the alcheminary’s coffers to help cover costs when an errant student blows up a 
  lab.
  · 
  The standard amount of time to learn the alchemical basics (for player characters and others in a hurry) is the 
  minimum XP for the next level divided by 20 in hours. Thus, with only the loss of 50 hours (or 7-8 days of study and 
  classwork) from normal adventuring, a character could become a 1st-level alchemist of any of the three types taught 
  at the alcheminary. 
  As the information increases, so does the time. Rising from 4th to 5th levels as a black alchemist would take 500 hours 
  (or 10-12 weeks) at Saragun’s to unlock the more advanced alchana. The beneﬁt of this is that the PC automatically 
  gains that level when he or she has the appropriate XP amounts to rise in levels—the training must come beforehand 
  but can only be put into play when the PC is ready to make the change in class or levels. 
  Courses can be even more advanced and even more rushed in emergencies (such as times of war or as a personal 
  favor from the tutor to the PC). The absolute minimum amount of time in which a character can learn what is necessary 
  to gain a level in one of the prestige classes equals the minimum XP for the following level divided by 50 in hours. 
  Bear in mind that few professors can provide even the most willing student more than 5 hours of study and aid per 
  day unless they neglect their regular students or have no active classes. 
  · 
  Thus, to become a 1st-level alchemist of the Alcheminary demands a drop-dead minimum 20 hours of 
  intensive study (1000/50=20), or 4 days of deep study, experiments, and reading. Moving up to 2nd level would take 
  60 hours (3000/50 = 60) or 12 days of intense work with the proper tutor. While it might a long time to be absent from 
  adventuring, a PC reaching the pinnacle of alchemical learning should be more than willing to sacriﬁce half a year (900 
  hours or 180 days) of intense study in order to learn the secrets of the greater alchana at 10th level.
  · 
  The vastly accelerated learning is not automatic. The PC’s player has to successfully make an Alchemy skill 
  check vs. the difﬁculty of assimilating all that knowledge so swiftly. The opposed DC is 15 plus the level to be gained; 
  no synergy bonuses can be added to this check, and if the player fails the PC has failed his exams and experiments, 
  and cannot claim a level in that prestige class. If the roll is missed by less than 3, the PC gains one rank in Alchemy as 
  a consolation for the time and costs. Regardless of the student’s success, the alcheminary keeps the PC’s gold. 
  · 
  Like all learning, the accelerated education only gets the character the least amount of experience in a new 
  level, so the PC must gain XP normally and reach the next level before he or she can attempt another round of 
  accelerated classes. Thus, the time spent in classes is the amount of time between the PC gaining the XP necessary to 
  rise to the next level and the PC ﬁnishing said classes and successfully adding that level or class to his statistics.
  Chapter 2
  
  21
  class adds to her levels of Red Alchemist for purposes of 
  determining spells per day.
  Bonus Feats: At ﬁrst level and at nearly every level 
  thereafter, Red Alchemists gain a bonus Item Creation feat 
  tied to their specialties. If the character does not meet the 
  prerequisites for the feat, it cannot be used until they are 
  met (a character may have knowledge of Create Alchana 
  but cannot use it until she gains Craft Wondrous Item, 
  etc.)
  Important: These feats are in addition to the feat that 
  a character of any class gets every three levels (as per 
  Table 3-2: Experience and Level-Dependent Beneﬁts 
  from Chapter 3 of the Player’s Handbook). The Red 
  Alchemist is not limited to the list given here when 
  choosing those feats.
  Item Creation Bonuses: Red Alchemists gain 
  a competence bonus when creating an item once 
  they have learned the alchemical methods for 
  doing so. Thus, after gaining Craft Chymicals 
  at 1st level with its +3 bonus for creating such 
  items, the bonus increases every other level. 
  In other words, Red Alchemists continue to 
  perfect their crafting and can keep increasing 
  the bonus given by the alchemical Item 
  Creation feat. Red Alchemists should use 
  the bonus as noted on Table 3 rather than the 
  standard +3 bonus of the feat itself. 
  The tabulated bonuses apply for Brew 
  Ingestibles (BI), Craft Chymicals (CC), Craft 
  Powders & Dusts (PD), Craft Toxins (T), 
  Craft Unguents (U), and Create Alchana 
  (CA). There are no applicable bonuses 
  for using the Perfect Materials or 
  Create Greater Alchana feats. 
  Note on Stonecrafting: Red 
  Alchemists, as the alchemists 
  who study every aspect of 
  alchemy, are the only ones 
  capable of creating all Five 
  Alchana Stones if and when 
  they gain the appropriate feats and 
  knowledge: The Alchemist’s Stone, the 
  Mystic’s Stone, the Healer’s Stone, the 
  Philosopher’s Stone, and the Sorcerer’s 
  Stone.
  Table 3: The Red Alchemist
  Lvl
   Base 
  Attack 
  Bonus
  Fort 
  Save
   Ref 
  Save
  Will 
  Save
  Bonus Feat
  BI
  CC
  PD
  T
  U
  CA
  1
  +0
  +0
  +0
  +2
  Craft Chymicals
  +0
  +3
  +0
  +0
  +0
  +0
  2
  +1
  +0
  +0
  +3
  Craft Powders & Dusts
  +0
  +3
  +3
  +0
  +0
  +0
  3
  +1
  +1
  +1
  +3
  Craft Toxins
  +0
  +4
  +3
  +3
  +0
  +0
  4
  +2
  +1
  +1
  +4
  Brew Ingestibles
  +3
  +4
  +4
  +3
  +0
  +0
  5
  +2
  +2
  +2
  +4
  Craft Unguents
  +3
  +5
  +4
  +4
  +3
  +0
  6
  +3
  +2
  +2
  +5
  +4
  +5
  +5
  +4
  +3
  +0
  7
  +3
  +3
  +3
  +5
  Craft Wondrous Items
  +4
  +6
  +5
  +5
  +4
  +0
  8
  +4
  +3
  +3
  +6
  Create Alchana
  +5
  +6
  +6
  +5
  +4
  +3
  9
  +4
  +4
  +4
  +6
  Perfect Materials
  +5
  +7
  +6
  +6
  +5
  +3
  10
  +5
  +4
  +4
  +7
  Create Greater Alchana
  +6
  +7
  +7
  +6
  +5
  +4
  Saragun’s Alcheminary
  
  22
  Chapter 3: Basics of Herbalism
  What generic herbalists don’t know is how to create 
  many of the wonderful items in Chapter 7, nor do they 
  have a broad amount of knowledge on usage or dosage of 
  said herbs. In short, their knowledge is strictly academic. 
  They know of herbs and can tell you some things about 
  them, but they don’t devote their life’s work to such things. 
  Generic herbalists could grab a handful of fools’ weed and 
  stuff it into the mouth of a terriﬁed halﬂing in hopes of 
  ending some supernatural terror effect, but they’d hardly 
  know that three small leaves are enough to do the trick.
  The Professional Herbalist
  Those trained in herbalism as a profession (Profession 
  (Herbalist or Apothecary)) know as much about herbs 
  and plants as those trained in the Knowledge skills. 
  Where they differ is in knowing the details—professional 
  herbalists and apothecaries know all about the herbs, the 
  best methods for harvesting and preserving them, and 
  their dosages both as curatives and for other uses. 
  Herbalists vs. Apothecaries
  Both herbalists and apothecaries carry herbs useful for 
  curing diseases and discomforts. Each scours the hillsides 
  collecting ﬂowers and herbs and spends the late summer 
  drying and preserving her ﬁnds. Each contributes to 
  the general health of her neighbors and mitigates their 
  ailments when needed. So what’s the difference between 
  an apothecary and an herbalist?
  Simply put, herbalists know of and use all manners of 
  herbs in any and all manners, no matter what their use or 
  form. They can prepare poisons and ointments, inks and 
  dyes, as well as poultices and tinctures. The apothecary 
  limits herself to the medicinal uses of herbs and plants, 
  and usually learns only the healing methods of plants, not 
  the study of poisons or harmful effects. 
  W
  hat is herbalism? It’s the study and 
  knowledge of herbs and plantlife, their 
  effects and uses both within and outside 
  the human (or animal) body. It’s also 
  the understanding of the world and 
  the sentient races’ place among the other forms of life. 
  Herbalism expands one’s understanding of how plants 
  and animals have grown and changed to aid each other in 
  maintaining the crucial balances of life on any planet. But 
  that’s not what you readers want to know, is it? You’re 
  after the skinny on how to use herbs in your games, right? 
  Read on, impatient ones, and prepare to learn.…
  Herbalism at its d20 Basic
  T
  here are redundancies and overlaps in terms of 
  knowledge and skill use in the d20 system, and 
  this is our attempt at distinguishing who knows 
  what, when, why, and how. While originally noted under 
  Profession as a skill, herbalism can also be learned as a 
  Knowledge skill, though that creates limitations and 
  distinctions among those who call themselves herbalists. 
  The Generic Herbalist
  Without specialized training (such as that found in 
  Chapter 4), a person with knowledge of herbs (Knowledge 
  (Herbalism or Nature)) can only identify and ﬁnd herbs. 
  She can make the most rudimentary of poultices and 
  curatives, and perhaps know what herbs would be good 
  for poison antidotes—but it’s unlikely she’d know how to 
  make it, only where to ﬁnd such information.
  If a player chooses to take Knowledge (Nature or 
  Herbalism), any DCs mentioned within this work and/
  or within the core books for the purpose of directly using 
  herbal knowledge beyond identiﬁcation of plants or herbal 
  substances should increase by +3.
   What’s the Difference?
  O
  ne of the confusions among players and GMs alike are the similarities in general use (both in fantasy 
  literature and in games) among herbalists, apothecaries, botanists or naturalists, and healers who use 
  herbs instead of divine energies. Here are the distinctions in a nutshell (along with the core skill for each 
  subset, in parentheses after the role’s name):
  · 
  An herbalist (Profession: Herbalist) has a broad range of knowledge about all plants and how to 
  prepare herbal creations from them for a wide variety of purposes. They can prepare herbal remedies and curatives 
  like apothecaries, but they can also create sleep powders or know which roots will calm an enraged barbarian. Lastly, 
  herbalists don’t often become active adventurers
  · 
  In contrast, a botanist (Knowledge: Herbalism) or a naturalist (Knowledge: Nature) only knows how to 
  identify plants, what they look like, how and where they grow, and whether or not the plants are edible, poisonous, 
  or decorative. They cannot produce any herbal remedies or potions, though they might know how to dry and preserve 
  plants in a pinch.
  · 
  An apothecary (Profession: Apothecary) limits her herbalism knowledge to the medicinal properties and 
  uses of all plants (as well as a few limited uses of animal products). Unlike the healer, whose skill use is tied to active 
  healing, an apothecary’s skill is in making medicines and selling them to healers.
  · 
  A healer (Heal) is someone with the Heal skill who knows how to use a Healer’s Kit (Player’s Handbook) 
  and the materials in it to keep folks alive. They know only the most rudimentary things about the herbs, and only can 
  only identify three to ﬁve plants they use to staunch wounds, slow or neutralize poisons, or calm a fever.
  A few ﬁnal comparisons to our modern world might show the distinctions for those of you still scratching your 
  heads. Think of the herbalist as a midwife and herbalist, the botanist as a ﬂorist, the apothecary as a druggist or 
  pharmacist, and the healer as a doctor. 
  Chapter 3
  
  23
  The Essentials
  S
  o now that we’ve gotten the rules out of the way, 
  let’s talk about what someone who calls himself an 
  herbalist would know, how he operates, what he 
  needs to perform his duties, and the like. 
  Basic Abilities & Tasks
  What does an herbalist do? While it’s tough to reduce 
  a profession and all its tasks to a few short sentences, 
  here are the sorts of things an herbalist can expect to do 
  regularly for clients:
  • 
  Be able to identify herbs by sight, smell, taste, or 
  touch (though rarely would an herbalist be asked 
  to know an herb by any one sense alone);
  • 
  Create and prepare herbal spell components;
  • 
  Create and prepare nonmagical medicines and 
  substances for quick healing;
  • 
  Prepare herbal or natural components for item 
  creation, from drying and treating wood for 
  staves and wands to knowing the methods for 
  preparing herbs for infusion within candles or 
  incense; and 
  • 
  Know enough about the effects of plants to 
  identify when a person has been poisoned or 
  affected by herbs and plants and have a sense of 
  how to alleviate those effects before they become 
  fatal.
  Basic Equipment
  While everyone’s practices and skills may vary, the tools 
  of the trade remain the same. All herbalists worth their 
  salt have at least these basic pieces of equipment in their 
  possession: 
  • 
  A knife or set of shears for herb harvesting, made 
  of bone, stone, or other natural materials. If metal 
  shears are used, they can be any pure metal save 
  iron or steel. 
  • 
  A mortar and pestle, for grinding and mashing 
  fresh or dried herbs to powder. These are 
  preferably of a hard stone like marble, though 
  carved wooden mortars and pestles are quite 
  common;
  • 
  A pair of cauldrons, one a hand’s span wide and 
  another at least the span of one’s forearm. These 
  are, obviously, the vessels in which herbs will 
  be cooked while preparing herbal creations. The 
  only restriction on cauldrons is that they not be 
  made of iron 
  • 
  Sheets of gauze, muslin, or linen stretched over 
  wooden frames, on which most ﬂowers or smaller 
  herbs can be dried. They are often constructed 
  for maximum ventilation through the light fabric 
  and can be stacked without hampering the air 
  ﬂow or the drying process.
  • 
  Jars, vials, and bottles made from clay, glass, 
  ceramic, and other nonmetallic materials, at 
  least a dozen of each size and shape. Of all the 
  equipment needed by the herbalist, storage 
  containers that protect fresh and dried herbs 
  from sun and heat are both the most important 
  and the most numerous. 
  • 
  A supply of beeswax, animal fats and lard, and 
  olive oil, for mixing into ointments or to seal jars 
  and herbal concoctions for extended periods.
  • 
  A small set of scales and measuring cups to 
  determine proper amounts of herbs or dosages 
  of an herbal medicine.
  Of course, the quality and quantity of these pieces 
  of equipment may vary. Herbalists may also swap in 
  other pieces of equipment carried in from other skills 
  they know, whether it be ovens and kilns for pottery or 
  cooking, alchemical glassware for distillation of tinctures 
  and spirits, or perhaps even censers and braziers from the 
  church for whom they serve as priests. Regardless of any 
  other devices or how high-priced the items might be, the 
  above tools serve each and every herbalist well. 
  Growing Herbs
  Obviously, any character with a window box or a garden 
  can grow his or her own herbs under controlled conditions, 
  and that saves a lot of time in ﬁnding or harvesting said 
  herbs. Of course, the conditions for this herb garden have 
  to match its native environment or else the herb will not 
  grow well, and its potency may be affected.
  As expected, wild-grown herbs are the best plants 
  to use in herbal and alchemical concoctions. Despite 
  centuries of study, herbalists are at a loss as to why this 
  is true, though druids and rangers immediately suggest 
  the blessings of nature (and then list the appropriate gods 
  to thank). 
  If an herbalist chooses to create a greenhouse or an 
  isolated garden in which to grow his plants, the reduction 
  in potency demands that 50% more be harvested and 
  prepared than the standard amount of wild herb. For 
  example, if Jharul’s Ointment of Noncorruption needs the 
  oil from four wild mistletoe berries, you’d need to crush 
  six garden-grown berries to get the oil necessary for the 
  ointment to be viable.
  Harvesting Herbs
  T
  he methods by which an herbalist harvests her herbs 
  are as varied as the people who learn herbcraft. 
  Those with a druidic or wilderness background 
  take a more spiritual path and ask the blessings of the 
  nature gods before either going out to harvest or before 
  they cut the living plant (and some even commune with 
  the spirit of the plant itself, asking its permission to be 
  harvested). Those of a more secular bent simply go ﬁnd 
  the plants and take whatever amount is needed when they 
  ﬁnd it. 
  In general, most herbs are harvested in summer 
  before or after the plants have ﬂowered. Seeds and bark 
  get harvested in early autumn, while roots might be dug 
  up either in early autumn or in spring. There are also 
  some evergreen herbs that can have their leaves collected 
  year-round, like sage, rosemary, thyme, or fools’ weed. 
  However, all herbalists take certain precautions and 
  adhere to particular guidelines, regardless of their focus 
  or beliefs, when harvesting herbs:
  • 
  All herbs should be collected during dry weather 
  and after the morning dew has evaporated from 
  them.
  • 
  For the best harvesting, use bone or stone knives, 
  or something of the natural world. 
  • 
  Never use steel or iron implements to cut the 
  living plants, only silver or gold shears or knives 
  (plated may work ﬁne, though pure metals are 
  better). The iron or steel robs the plant of its 
  Basics of Herbalism
  
  24
  vitality and can corrupt some of the oils and 
  essences in an instant. 
  • 
  Never take more than you 
  need, and always leave at 
  least as much behind as 
  you take away with 
  you. 
  • 
  Herbs 
  should 
  not come into 
  contact 
  with 
  anything 
  but 
  natural 
  ﬁbers 
  for 
  the 
  ﬁrst 
  hours 
  after 
  harvest, so cloth 
  bags—a 
  separate 
  bag 
  for 
  each 
  type 
  of herb—are best for 
  collecting 
  and 
  storing 
  herbs until they are ready 
  for preservation or use.
  • 
  Cut annuals to the ground when 
  harvesting.
  • 
  Cut biennials and perennials about 
  halfway to the ground when harvesting.
  • 
  Leaves should be pulled in early morning 
  to maximize their essential oils. If the plant 
  is a biennial, the best, most potent leaves 
  are gathered in its second year.
  • 
  Flowers should be gathered immediately 
  upon opening rather than after reaching 
  their full bloom. (Springtime harvesting)
  • 
  Plant stalks may be cut to the ground when 
  harvesting them in mid-autumn, before all of 
  the sap has receded to the roots. 
  • 
  While most plant roots can be 
  pulled in early spring before the 
  plant ﬂowers, the additional 
  moisture in the soil makes 
  them more difﬁcult to dry 
  than if pulled in autumn 
  after the main plant has 
  died down (or been 
  harvested). 
  o If the plant is an 
  annual, it is best 
  to pull the roots in the 
  spring, just before the plant ﬂowers.
  o Biennial plant roots are best pulled in 
  autumn after the ﬁrst year vegetation 
  falls away.
  o Perennial plant roots can be gathered 
  either in spring or autumn.
  • 
  Gather plant bulbs after the new bulbs are 
  perfected, usually just before the leaves have 
  fully died off the plant above ground.
  • 
  Various herbs and plants produce sap which 
  should be gathered by slicing the succulent 
  (moisture-holding) plant leaves and scraping the 
  gel into a container.
  • 
  Plant barks should only be harvested in late 
  autumn when the sap of the plant is falling toward 
  the roots, to avoid major damage or destruction 
  to the plant. As with other harvesting, never 
  take too much, like stripping a tree fully of bark. 
  Choose one side (the north side tends towards 
  denser bark). Also, it’s best to only do this to 
  plants more than two years old, 
  to ensure their survival.
  • 
  Lastly, seed cones 
  and nuts can be harvested 
  whenever they are found 
  falling from their plants. 
  The same goes for twigs 
  and deadfall branches. In 
  fact, there are uses for even 
  the hulls of hard nuts, 
  so very few plantstuffs 
  are ever wasted when 
  harvested properly.
  P r e s e r v i n g 
  Herbs
  T
  here are a variety of 
  methods 
  on 
  how 
  to 
  preserve 
  herbs, 
  though 
  most involve drying out the herbs in some 
  way. Of course, the herbs can be preserved 
  in their whole forms or they can be cut up 
  or chunked before or after drying—it’s up 
  to the GM as to which methods are more 
  common in their worlds.
  Perhaps druids and rangers know of 
  mystical preservation methods that are 
  unknown to herbalists, but in general, 
  how herbs are prepared and preserved 
  determines their standard form as found in 
  a D20 campaign world. Herbalists preserve 
  herbs by drying with these methods:
  • 
  Long-stemmed 
  herbs 
  (like 
  mints, yarrow, and the like) are 
  gathered into small bunches with 
  their ends tied together, the 
  bundles hung upside 
  down in an airy 
  place away from 
  direct sunlight or 
  moisture. 
  These 
  herbs may be stored 
  this way for up to 
  six 
  months, 
  though 
  they should be fully dried 
  inside of a month.
  • 
  Smaller herbs, leaves, and ﬂowers are often laid 
  out in a single layer on a drying tray (as described 
  above under Basic Equipment) away from direct 
  light or any moisture. After 2-6 days, they should 
  be fully dry, crisp and brittle to the touch. The 
  faster the ﬂowers and herbs dry, the brighter and 
  more colorful they remain.
  • 
  Flowers are dried as whole ﬂowerheads if at all 
  possible, though petals can be dried en masse if 
  so desired.
  • 
  Depending on the size and thickness of the 
  specimen, plant roots can be cleaned of mud and 
  dried whole or cut lengthwise to expose more 
  parts of the root to the air. This method also helps 
  prevent mold (which ruins the root’s usefulness), 
  as the moisture in the root dries away before it 
  spoils the plant matter. 
  Chapter 3
  
  25
  • 
  Plant bark takes an inordinate amount of time to 
  fully dry—no less than one year and preferably 
  two years. 
  • 
  Roots, berries, and many nuts beneﬁt from a brief 
  heating to speed up the drying process. Like the 
  standard drying racks noted above, such plants 
  are laid out in one layer on a pan and set at the 
  edge of a ﬁre or just inside the mouth of an open 
  oven for no more than 4 hours. 
  • 
  Once dried, raw herbs should be stored away 
  from sunlight and usually in an airtight container 
  if possible. 
  Shelf-Life of Preserved Herbs
  A ﬁnal note on preserved herbs—most dried herbs lose 
  their potency and their usefulness after a year of storage, 
  though herbs used only for cooking can be kept up to two 
  years before they must be replaced. The only exception to 
  this is preserved bark—given the long drying time, many 
  barks prove to have a shelf life of up to 4 years after drying 
  (but no more than 5 after its original harvest).
  Sufﬁce it to say, unless the plant is magically preserved, 
  there’ll be no treasure stores of herbs found in the 
  dungeons of a d20 world—at least none worth the trouble 
  of ﬁnding. Finding the ancient lore of dwarven herbalism 
  might be interesting for learning how to preserve and use 
  mushrooms and other fungi, but the chances of drastically 
  extending the shelf-life of herbs is pretty slim.
  Creating Herbal Concoctions
  Y
  es, there is much more to herbalism than simply 
  picking ﬂowers and hanging them to dry in your 
  shed. The main reasons people take up herbcraft—
  other than to spice up otherwise bland meals—are to create 
  medicinals, teas or any variety of substances derived from 
  the plants. While the making of such creations is left for 
  other chapters, certain essential steps and processes are 
  used by all herbalists, whether creating Denharil’s Oil or 
  simply making a cup of tea. 
  We’ll skip over the obvious use of some plants 
  and herbs as spell components, as that’s a given in any 
  d20 world. What we’re discussing below are the more 
  mundane uses for herbs and plants. This is not to say that 
  these mundane methods can’t lead to magical uses later, 
  however.
  Infusions
  The most common form of herbal infusion is hot tea. 
  Infusion is simply the pouring of water—hot or cold—
  over an herb so that the water becomes infused with the 
  oils and essences of the herb. Cold infusions can also use 
  lighter oils made from nuts, fruits, seeds, or vegetables 
  such as olive, walnut, sesame, or peanut oil.
  Infusions work best with leaves, ﬂowers, and more 
  delicate plant material, either in fresh or dried quantities. 
  The shelf life of infusions really depends on the 
  usage and what herbs you’ve infused. In general, assume 
  that infusions have less than four days’ shelf life unless 
  otherwise stated (teas can be made and placed in a bottle 
  for travel, but it’s probably best to just bring the herbs 
  separately and then infuse them when needed). Infusions 
  can have extended shelf lives (of up to two weeks) if made 
  stronger than normal—three times as much herb—and 
  mixed with a 25% alcohol solution, though this then needs 
  to be diluted in water for use.
  Macerations
  While technically a form of infusion, maceration is a longer 
  process that produces different results and more lasting 
  effects, in some ways. Cold maceration involves placing 
  fresh or dried herbs into a jar or container, covering them 
  entirely with an oil of choice, and then sealing up the 
  container and placing it in a cool, dark place for a period 
  of time. 
  If fresh herbs were used, eight weeks is a good 
  benchmark before the oils and essences of the herbs fully 
  seep into and saturate the oil. For dried herbs, don’t bother 
  to check the jar for at least four months. In either case, the 
  maceration is not ready until the color and smell of the oil 
  takes on the tint and scent of the herbs. Leaving the herbs 
  in the oil for longer than the minimum time only creates 
  a stronger oil, which is hardly a problem. The ﬁnal step 
  is to separate the oil and the herbs by straining through 
  cheesecloth or other methods, saving the macerated oil as 
  the ﬁnal product.
  Maceration works best with dried herbs, as the long 
  percolation time in the oil pulls the essence out of the 
  dried plant matter. Fresh herb macerations should be 
  checked more frequently and can become problematic—
  the moisture content in a fresh herb can introduce mold 
  into the maceration if not carefully monitored. 
  Another beneﬁt from the slow process of cold maceration 
  is the shelf life of the oils. Barring any problems of mold or 
  rancidity from fresh herbs or sunlight, macerated oils can 
  remain viable for 2d4 years.
  Decoctions
  Decoctions are very similar to infusions, though they 
  always involve hot water rather than cold water. The 
  herbs are placed into cold water and heated slowly. The 
  herbal mixture is simmered anywhere from thirty minutes 
  to a full hour (or until the amount of water reduces by 
  a third through evaporation) to fully percolate the herbs’ 
  oils into the water. 
  Decoctions obviously work best (and are necessary) 
  when using tougher herbal parts such as barks, stalks, 
  berries, and roots. If using fresh ingredients, they should be 
  sliced before entering the water, while dried components 
  are best if crushed or powdered.
  Decoctions have a slightly longer shelf life than 
  infusions and can remain viable for up to ten days if kept 
  cool and out of sunlight. Like infusions, it might be best 
  for travelers to simply take the necessary herbs with them 
  and plan on boiling out the decoction when needed.
  Basics of Herbalism
  
  26
  Chapter 4: Tarasta’s School of Herbalism 
  out around the school (some more than others, to reduce 
  the aforementioned tuition). 
  If you enter the walls of Tarasta’s school, prepare to 
  remain inside those walls—barring ﬁeldwork expeditions 
  or emergencies—for the entirety of your education. The 
  typical stay at Tarasta’s is three years for basic students, 
  ﬁve years for advanced studies (prestige classes), and 
  indeﬁnite stays for those who become faculty. The school 
  is not indifferent to helping those in need or aiding weary 
  travelers, though outsiders are only allowed into the inn 
  located near the outer gatehouse.
  The Campus
  Y
  our ﬁrst view of Tarasta’s School may be 
  uninspiring. The moderately sized villa is 
  nondescript, its highest towers reaching only 
  four stories. Still, for the area, it is a major architectural 
  landmark.
  Inn of the Hamadryad
  The ﬁrst building you’ll ﬁnd is the Inn of the Hamadryad, 
  a two-story thatched-roof building about a hundred yards 
  out from the school’s gatehouse and an equal length of 
  open space from the forest’s edge. It’s the place where 
  anyone from the school meets family or others, and it’s as 
  far as any student can stray from the school until studies 
  are complete. The comfortable taproom seats about 
  seventy-ﬁve and is cozy, with booths lining one wall, the 
  bar dominating the back wall, and tables ﬁlling up the 
  remainder of the ﬂoor. Half of the upper level is taken by 
  L
  ike Saragun’s Alcheminary in Chapter 2, 
  Tarasta’s School of Herbalism is a place that 
  can be dropped into any campaign. It can 
  stand on its own as a place of learning or it 
  can be incorporated into a wizards’ college. 
  More so than the Alcheminary, it can also be placed in a 
  religious context, such as a druidic order’s enclave. In any 
  case, we’ve constructed Tarasta’s school for GM ease of use, 
  with only its philosophies necessary to create and support 
  the prestige classes it visits upon your campaigns. 
  GMs are encouraged to adopt as much or as little as 
  they like of the background and details of Tarasta’s school. 
  The details serve only to give more color and depth to 
  herbalism and its practitioners, as well as to help others 
  understand the thoughts and work behind herbcraft. 
  While unmapped, Tarasta’s has enough details in this 
  chapter to be used as a setting in game campaigns, should 
  you choose to incorporate it into your world. 
  Again, the game rules remain the same, regardless of 
  how much or how little color and detail is adopted, so if 
  nothing else, GMs and players alike can learn a bit more 
  about what they can gain from the plant world and how it 
  might be incorporated into your games. 
  Situated atop a low hill, a walled villa with an odd 
  collection of buildings plays host to Tarasta’s School of 
  Herbalism, named after its founder. While it is afﬁliated 
  with a wizards’ college in the nearby castle higher in the 
  foothills, the school operates somewhat independently 
  and has equal ties with the local druids in the surrounding 
  forests.
  Almost twelve decades ago, Tarasta came to this 
  place as an adventurer with four comrades, one of whom 
  perished removing a local tyrant from the ﬁve-towered 
  castle. The four survivors—Tarasta the sorcerer and druid, 
  Khalq the warrior, Aden the paladin, and Saragun the 
  wizard and alchemist—occupied the holdings as a reward 
  for freeing the countryside from the corrupt count and his 
  ruthless barons, turning them into the schools that now 
  bear their names.
  The school—once known collectively as Lhyndessanth, 
  the estate of the Count of Lhyndess—is the only 
  noteworthy building for three miles. (The castle and the 
  rest of the wizards’ college is four miles up into the hills 
  and mountains—a morning’s ride if necessary.) What 
  many don’t realize is that any who approach within two 
  miles of the villa come under close watch by agents of a 
  local druids’ circle and close friends of the school. The 
  villa has a two-hundred yard clearance around its stone 
  walls, the trees long ago felled and used in its interior 
  buildings. 
  Those who travel to Tarasta’s, hoping to join its 
  students or its faculty, learn a few things quickly. First, 
  any who travel with horses should be prepared to sell 
  them in the closest town—the village of Howling Mill—
  and walk to the school; only the senior faculty and the 
  guard contingent may keep horses in the small stables 
  there. Secondly, if you are prepared to join Tarasta’s, your 
  tuition is paid both in coin and work—it costs 800 gp plus 
  any expenses incurred by research and materials per year, 
  and students are expected to tend the gardens and help 
   Creation Times
  In previous chapters we discussed who could create 
  which items. Now here’s how long it generally takes to 
  create each item:
  Creation Time = 
  [Caster Level x Difﬁculty Class (to Create)]  hours
  Example: Creating a tanglefoot bag (CL 2; DC 25) 
  takes 50 hours total, or about 6-10 days of work for the 
  alchemist. The creation work does not have to be done in 
  exclusion to all other tasks or activities.
  There are some exceptions to this rule at the high 
  end of the crafts—crafting Greater Alchana and Greater 
  Erlcana items (from erlmantles and the Erlixirs to 
  Emerald Tablets and the Alchana Stones) must be done 
  in exclusion to all other activities save a 6-hour rest 
  period each day. Alchemists usually have a heavily 
  stocked pantry on hand before they begin a major work, 
  knowing they cannot remove themselves at all until it is 
  completed. 
  Example: Creating a cocoon swathe will take an 
  herbalist at least 720 hours (40 DC x 18 CL) or 40 complete 
  days of uninterrupted work. If the herbalist is ever away 
  from the creation for more than six hours, the process is 
  delayed by hours equal to the creation DC of the item. If 
  away for more than nine hours at any time, the creation 
  is ruined and the process must begin again.
  Chapter 4
  
  27
  the owner, his wife, and their two sons, while the other half 
  is a wide common room with straw pallets for guests.
  Hallack Brewson’s father Gharn built the inn more 
  than forty years ago, settling here when he was cast out of 
  Howling Mill for having the plague. He and a few others 
  came to Tarasta’s, were healed, and built the inn to aid the 
  school by providing for guests without inconveniencing 
  students or staff. Hallack married a student of the school 
  and began brewing beer and ale and making wine with 
  the skills he knew and those he learned from his wife. 
  The vineyards and hops growing around the walls of the 
  school and along the hills in this clearing, in fact, are the 
  result of Hallack’s hard work and that of his two sons Reic 
  and Arlen.
  Ikarn’s Keep
  The largest building in the school is Ikarn’s Keep, a three-
  towered castle attached to the back corner of the curtain 
  wall surrounding the school campus. Formerly a baronial 
  manor (though it’s named for Tarasta’s husband, who died 
  taking it); its three squat towers and three levels of rooms 
  connecting said towers hold the college classrooms, the 
  dormitories for all the students and staff, and the school’s 
  extensive library on herbs, plant lore, and herbalists’ 
  tomes. The closest tower to the gatehouse is the ﬁrst of 
  two students’ towers (the second being the westernmost 
  tower), each ﬂoor acting as the dormitory for ﬁrst- through 
  third-year students; fourth-year or advanced students 
  sleep in the west tower above the guard barracks. 
  The Infirmary & Apothecary
  One of the ﬁve mid-sized buildings within the keep’s 
  curtain wall is the two-story squat rectangular building 
  that houses the inﬁrmary and the apothecary. While classes 
  for apothecaries are still held among the school’s normal 
  rooms, the specialized laboratories are in the east wing of 
  this building. The west wing contains the inﬁrmary and 
  hospital for patients, be they injured students or patients 
  from outside. 
  The Gardens
  As would be expected, there are gardens within the 
  grounds of the school. Normally, gardens serve to provide 
  food, and these gardens deﬁnitely ﬁll that role for the 
  school. However, they also serve to grow the plants and 
  herbs studied herein. Unlike an illustration in a book, 
  students can also learn what the plant smells, feels, and 
  tastes like—a better education that merely reading about 
  them.
  Unlike most garden-grown herbs, these do not suffer 
  the usual drawbacks of nonwild herbs (see Growing Herbs 
  in Chapter 3). The local druids bless the gardens habitually 
  and while they meet few other requirements of a druids’ 
  grove, the lands herein and in the adjoining hothouse 
  produce some of the best herbs and plants possible.
  The Grotto
  The only important part of the school that lies outside 
  the villa walls is The Grotto. It is a cavern of bare stone 
  walls on the far eastern side of the clearing, about a half-
  mile from the school. This is where classes are held to 
  test the more explosive concoctions or to mix things that 
  Tarasta’s School
  
  28
  would be dangerous around too many people. It rests 
  alongside a small stream, one of many that provide water 
  to supplement the school’s central well.
  Other Sites & Buildings
  There are a few other buildings within the walls of 
  the school, all either utilitarian storage or a necessary 
  subsidiary of school life. There is a blacksmith on hand 
  for the guards’ weapons and armor repair as well as all 
  other metalwork around the school. A potter and his wife 
  (the glass-blower and glazier) occupy the other half of the 
  smith’s forge, and the two families split the living quarters 
  above that long working area. Stables for the small number 
  of horses are nestled near the gatehouse, and there are 
  pantries and granaries for storage of food for the winter.
  Last but not least, there are a few small buildings 
  outside the walls beyond the Inn. Some are home to the 
  school’s cooking or cleaning staff, while others are the 
  family homes of the higher-ranked guards. Resting near 
  the western wall of the villa is a small hut, the home of 
  Urvam the beekeeper. His beehives cluster among the 
  branches of the trees to the west of the school, and he 
  provides all of the school’s beeswax and honey. All of 
  these folk are welcomed inside the school walls if they 
  have need of protection from raiders or other problems.
  The Staff and Faculty
  T
  here are ﬁve principal characters comprising 
  the 
  senior 
  staff, 
  and 
  seven 
  junior 
  faculty assist them. All gained their 
  herbal training here, which explains the 
  preponderance of druidic knowledge 
  among them—Tarasta insisted early 
  that everyone join the nearby 
  druid’s circle for at least a season 
  before entering the school, and 
  that tradition remains as a 
  prerequisite for learning the 
  prestige classes here (unless 
  one is already trained as a 
  druid). 
  Professor of Potions, 
  Poisons, Purgatives, and 
  Toxins, Shalmyss Stenth 
  [NG 
  hm 
  Druid 
  10/
  Herbalist 10] has been at 
  Tarasta’s for more than 
  50 years and was one 
  of its earliest students. 
  A seemingly harmless 
  bow-backed old man, his 
  students think him more 
  owl than human with his 
  nocturnal classes and his 
  bald head nearly always 
  covered by a mantle. 
  Actually, he simply enjoys the moonlight and chooses 
  to keep his students up late. His single assistant is his 
  granddaughter, Lecturer Yurilys Stenth [NG hf Druid 1/
  Herbalist 9]. Not present in his title is Shalmyss’ status as 
  senior trainer of the junior faculty and teacher of many 
  alchana, and it is among these more learned classes that 
  Shalmyss comes alive with interest. 
  Phoram Pallyss [LN e*m Bard13/Druid 2/Herbalist 
  5] is the Professor of Herbs, Gardening, Harvesting, and 
  Botanical Knowledge. This elf stands out among his 
  fellows here, as his hair is a long growth of mosses and 
  ivies down his back, his skin a tawny bark. Phoram is 
  often the ﬁrst kin o’ the green (see Appendix Two) most 
  folk meet, but his gentle ways and soft-spoken teachings 
  make his ﬁrst-year-students forget his status as both a 
  plant and a sentient mammal. Phoram’s two assistants are 
  his half-elven sons, Undal [NG hem Ranger 4; P: Herbalist 
  9] and Phoram the Younger [LN hem Bard 5/Druid 2/
  Herbalist 5].
  Professor of Medicinals, Curatives, and Apothecaries 
  is the title of Saonar [LN halfm Sorcerer 12/Druid 1/
  Herbalist 7], though most of his students call this much-
  scarred man Seven Fingers behind his back, and he knows 
  it. While he knows enough to remove the remnants of past 
  damage, Saonar keeps his scars as 
  reminders to himself and his students 
  that no amount of knowledge or 
  training can prevent all harm.
  Professor of Ingestibles, senior 
  chef and mistress of the kitchens, 
  Uama Pallyss [LN h*f Ranger 8/
  Druid 1/Herbalist 10] is also a 
  kin o’ the green like her husband, 
  though she has only recently 
  undergone the Greengift and 
  seems fully human aside from rock 
  violets sprouting at all times in 
  her black and silver tresses. Uama 
  still has little patience, despite 
  twenty-two years alongside her 
  elf husband, and woe to those 
  students late for either her classes 
  or her meals.
  The Professor of Chymicals, 
  Unguents, 
  Powders 
  & 
  Dusts, 
  and also the senior Professor and 
  Headmistress of the school, Charyn 
  Eyesharp [NG hf Druid 10/Herbalist 
  10] is the youngest headmistress 
  of the school, with only forty-ﬁve 
  winters. Chosen by Tarasta herself 
  at Greendell, Charyn was a foundling 
  left at the Inn of the Hamadryad and 
  fostered at the school. She spent her 
  adolescence and early adulthood among 
  the druids until Tarasta herself sent her 
  back to the school to lead it after the death 
  of the last mistress. 
  The other high-ranking person within 
  the school walls but not among the faculty 
  is Vorym [LG hm Ranger 14/Apothecary 
  12], captain of the guard. He commands 
  a contingent of eighteen warriors, 
  ﬁghters, and rangers, but can also 
  Chapter 4
  
  29
  call on aid from a tribe of centaurs within the forest to 
  defend the school from attacks. 
  Lastly, Tarasta, while no longer headmistress or actually 
  at the school, remains a presence in her teachings—and 
  the fact that she has rooted herself only seven miles away 
  from the school, inside the forest. She was among the ﬁrst 
  to create and accept the Erlixir of Greengifting ninety 
  years ago, and she quickly took root in the forest at the 
  site now called Greendell. Since then, she has grown tall 
  as a majestic elm covered, oddly, in wild grape vines and 
  holly. It takes much—usually the attendance of a high-
  ranking druid—to break her away from her reverie with 
  nature, though if anything cataclysmic happens in the area 
  Tarasta will immediately head toward the school. She can 
  act as a treant in her current form or grow another body 
  more akin to her old one, in which she can wield most 
  of her old abilities [NG h*f Sorcerer 6/Druid 4/Herbalist 
  10]. 
  Learning the Craft
  L
  ike many schools, one cannot simply approach its 
  gates and expect to gain an education without any 
  foreknowledge or without showing any aptitude 
  for the work to come. Thus, most entrants need to have at 
  least two ranks of Profession (Herbalist) before they are 
  even considered for entrance into Tarasta’s School. 
  Once a student here, you start with the basics, 
  relearning everything about herbs in order to learn the 
  philosophy engendered by Tarasta: nature has feelings, 
  honor, life, and respect for the balance between ﬂora, 
  fauna, and the other worlds of the gods. There are other 
  philosophies, many of which are ﬁrst taught by the druids 
  PC Students of Herbalism
  P
  layer characters who choose to learn herbalism at Tarasta’s do not gain any special favors from their 
  adventuring status (although they might be asked to join the guard rather than the usual duties ascribed 
  to students in the kitchens or gardens). Still, the question you’ve got in your mind is “How do I get to 
  incorporate this knowledge and this place into my campaign without Bob’s character being removed 
  from the game for a year or so?” 
  Simply put, if Bob’s character has entered Tarasta’s to learn herbalism as a novice (i.e. less than three ranks of 
  Profession: Herbalist), he cannot do more than attend the school as a regular student. Tarasta’s is not a school open 
  to correspondence classes or to students who only attend classes when they choose to do so. The school’s attitude on 
  that is ﬁnal—attend fully or ﬁnd your information on herbalism elsewhere. 
  If the PC is attempting to learn advanced knowledge—any of the prestige classes in this chapter or simply 
  Profession: Herbalist ranks beyond nine—he or she can attend private and intensiﬁed courses with the appropriate 
  professor. This decision must be made when the player character can choose a new class or level. There are, of course, 
  time and money factors to take into account:
  · 
  Private classes for learning to be an herbalist or apothecary cost at least double the norm, if not more. Costs 
  are determined by taking the level to be reached and multiplying that by 1000 gp. The only beneﬁt of these increased 
  costs is that the school no longer charges for incidental expenditures for research materials.
  · 
  The standard amount of time to learn the basics of the herbalist or apothecary (for player characters and 
  others in a hurry) is the minimum XP for the next level divided by 20 in hours. Thus, with only the loss of 50 hours (or 
  7-8 days of study and 7 hours of classwork) from normal adventuring, a character could become a 1st-level Tarastan 
  herbalist. 
  As the knowledge increases, so does the time. Rising from 4th to 5th level as an apothecary would take 500 hours 
  (or 10 weeks to 3 months) at Tarasta’s to unlock the secrets. The beneﬁt of this time spent is that the PC automatically 
  gains the next level when he or she has the appropriate XP amounts to rise in levels (and the GM can decide when the 
  PC takes time to attend the school either before or immediately after the change in levels). 
  · 
  The absolute minimum amount of time in which a character can learn what is necessary to gain a level in one 
  of the prestige classes equals the minimum XP for the following level divided by 50 in hours. Bear in mind that few 
  professors will provide even the most exceptional student more than 5-6 hours of study and aid per day unless they 
  neglect their regular students (which they might do for additional monies or favors or items from adventurers).
  Thus, to become a 1st-level herbalist at Tarasta’s requires an absolute minimum 20 hours of intensive study 
  (1000/50=20), or 4 days of heavy cramming sessions, study, and experimentation. To gain the knowledge of a 2nd 
  level herbalist would take 60 hours (3000/50 = 60) or 12 days of intense study under the appropriate tutor. And 
  while it seems a long time to be absent from adventuring, a PC reaching the heights of herbalism should be more 
  than willing to sacriﬁce half a year (900 hours or 180 days) of intense study in order to learn the secrets of the greater 
  erlcana at 10th level.
  · 
  The vastly-accelerated gain of information and skills is not automatic—like any good education, there are 
  examinations and tests. The student PC must successfully make a Profession: Herbalist check vs. the difﬁculty of 
  assimilating all that knowledge so swiftly. The opposed DC is 15 plus the level to be gained; no synergy bonuses are 
  applicable to this check, and if the player fails the PC has failed his exams and experiments, and cannot claim a level 
  in that prestige class. If the roll is missed by less than 3, the PC gains one rank in Profession: Herbalist or Apothecary 
  as a consolation for the time and gp costs. Regardless of the student’s success, the school keeps the PC’s gold. 
  · 
  After successfully gaining the accelerated level of knowledge, the herbalist is free to go out and adventure, 
  use the skills learned, and spread the word of Tarasta’s School. However, the accelerated education only gets the 
  character the least amount of experience in that level, so the PC must gain experience normally and reaches the cusp 
  of the next level before he or she can attempt another round of accelerated classes. Thus, the time spent in classes is 
  the amount of time between the PC gaining the XP necessary to rise to the next level and the PC ﬁnishing said classes 
  and successfully ﬁnishing that level’s education.
  Tarasta’s School
  
  30
  of the Pine Circle outside the school walls, but sufﬁce to 
  say that Tarasta’s primary philosophy is this: “Respect 
  Nature and the Balance of Plant to Animal, and Ye Shall 
  Gain its Respect and the Rewards Therein.”
  Those seeking advanced knowledge (such as the 
  Herbalist prestige class) need to have at least one level 
  of Druid for entry. They are not retaught the basics, 
  though they are tested thoroughly as to the level of their 
  knowledge, and usually are not accepted for advanced 
  studies without a high degree of herbalist knowledge 
  (hence the prerequisites for the prestige classes). 
  The Year Structures
  Tarasta’s follows a time-honored curriculum pattern that 
  has served it well for over a century. The curriculum is as 
  follows:
  Year 1: Students learn the basics in plant identiﬁcation, 
  understanding how to ﬁnd herbs, grow them, etc. They 
  also learn the strictures and methods for harvesting and 
  preserving herbs, along with the creation of basic infusions 
  and ingestibles.
  Year 2: Students choose between specialties in 
  apothecary and medical knowledge or continuing their 
  herbalist studies. Both student tracks expand their general 
  knowledge of plants, their uses in other concoctions, and 
  their basic medicinal uses. They also learn poisons and 
  antidotes, more infusions and ingestibles, and unguents.
  Year 3: By year’s end, every student is a full-ﬂedged 
  herbalist or apothecary; some claim they can now identify 
  many herbal creations by scent alone (though a skill 
  check vs. a DC of 18 would be required of them). Before 
  graduation, students learn the preparations of dusts and 
  powders, the ﬁnal knowledge on herbal restoratives, and 
  the history of erlcana and the major works of herbalism.
  Regardless of the particulars being taught, each student 
  gains one rank in Profession (Herbalist) every nine months 
  spent studying here and working the grounds.
  Extended studies and learning are available at Tarasta’s, 
  though any who stay beyond three years are expected 
  to become temporary staff and teach a few students 
  themselves. Advanced learning consists of studying and 
  understanding the high-end herbal erlcana, studying 
  herbcraft as a prestige class, or completely embracing the 
  craft of the apothecary. As stated above, acceptance for 
  advanced study requires that a person have one level of 
  druid among their repertoire of skills to fast-track them 
  past the basics and into the higher levels of learning.
  Growing & Harvesting Methods
  As noted above in The Gardens, growing herbs for study 
  and use is easily accomplished at the school. What the 
  budding herbalists learn at Tarasta’s is which plants 
  should be planted where, so as to keep all the plants and 
  the soil in balance. The gardens are arranged for ease of 
  study and all plants with like uses (either as medicinals, 
  dyes, perfumes or others) are grouped together in beds 
  and arranged for maximum health and the least impact 
  on each other. However, in order to force students to 
  appreciate and understand nature’s ways, at least one 
  external trip a season takes the current class out into the 
  local wilderness to ﬁnd and study many of the same herbs 
  in their natural environments. 
  Harvesting methods are as noted in Chapter 3, albeit 
  with one major difference: all students at Tarasta’s learn 
  harvesting as she learned it from her tutors. Thus, “in an 
  effort to help you understand both the hardiness of the 
  plant and the ﬂow of life around it, harvest the plant only 
  clad with air.” Harvesting plants in the nude becomes a 
  private ceremony for the bashful, though even the boldest 
  do not see this method as anything but contemplative to 
  their work. It simply puts the sentient being on a level 
  with the plant and teaches respect for all the inﬂuences 
  the plant withstands, from wind or rain to biting insects 
  or the blazing sun.
  Specialized Herbal Knowledge
  After the ﬁrst year (or the 4th rank of Profession 
  (Herbalist)), students must decide whether to continue 
  with the general course of study or to specialize. The sole 
  specialization taught at Tarasta’s is to focus knowledge on 
  the medicinal uses of herbs, allowing students to become 
  full apothecaries. Once this choice is made, the student 
  begins learning the new skill Profession (Apothecary) 
  and spends the rest of her time at Tarasta’s building on 
  Crisis Creations
  I
  n an emergency or “out in the ﬁeld,” there 
  might be reasons for an adventuring herbalist 
  to know how to do makeshift preparations 
  without all the ofﬁcial and time-consuming 
  processes to guarantee success. Tarasta’s 
  school does teach this feat as a special class to fourth-
  year students or graduates, as preparation for active 
  lives beyond the school and also as a test to see how 
  well those students react and work under stress and 
  pressure.
  Bear in mind that these shortcuts are meant for 
  emergencies, and only under duress would any self-
  respecting herbalist use such methods outside of a 
  crisis. This should also be a lesson to those who expect 
  anyone with herbalism to be able to grab a clump of 
  moss, stuff it into someone’s wound, and help heal it—
  to think twice. Nothing good is ever that simple, unless 
  one already had the properly prepared materials. And 
  that’s not what we’re discussing here. Think of this as 
  Emergency Herbalism.
  The following are not speciﬁc and proscribed 
  methods for the use of the Crisis Creation feat, but 
  they’re examples of the sorts of short-cuts taught at 
  Tarasta’s by the primary tutor, Saonar Seven-Fingered:
  · 
  Flash dry herbs using arcane spells like burning 
  hands and the like. Do not use campﬁres to dry herbs, as 
  the smoke permeates and ruins the herbs.
  · 
  If forced to approach and harvest herbs in a 
  hurry, it is often better to use your hands and rip loose 
  what you need than to use improper tools. 
  · 
  With practice, the combination of mage hand 
  and prestidigitation can grind, pulp, and mash herbs 
  into a quick poultice or prepare them for further changes 
  and assimilation into other herbal creations.
  · 
  For total and immediate pulping, cast ray of 
  frost then shatter on the herbs in question, following 
  up with prestidigitation to mix the herbs into the 
  concoction.
  These steps and methods are taught for use in an 
  emergency, but only by taking the Crisis Creation feat 
  do you avoid taking a –2 circumstance penalty for each 
  short cut or improper tool used to create anything.
  Chapter 4
  
  31
  that skill. (The student graduates from Tarasta’s after two 
  more years with 3 ranks in Profession (Apothecary).)
  The Tarastan Herbalist 
  T
  his prestige class directly reﬂects the teachings and 
  standards of Tarasta’s School. While not always 
  embracing the religious nature of druidism, 
  Tarastan herbalists have a sharply honed respect for nature 
  and a broad knowledge and understanding of nature, its 
  cycles, and the balances between plants and animals. 
  Tarastan Herbalists are neither common herbalists nor 
  common students of the school—they are the advanced 
  students who carry Tarasta’s message of Nature’s Gifts 
  in Balance throughout the world. They are also learned 
  in secrets of erlcana beyond the grasp of most self-taught 
  or tutored herbalists (meaning NPC Experts or those with 
  random ranks of herbalist).
  Requirements
  To qualify to become a Tarastan Herbalist, you must meet 
  the following criteria:
  Skills: Profession (Herbalist) 8 ranks. (It is highly 
  recommended that players place one or two skill points 
  each level into their Profession (Herbalist) skill in order 
  to meet the prerequisites of many feats gained in this 
  prestige class.)
  Feats: Skill Focus [Profession (Herbalist)]
  Abilities: Nature Sense (Druid ability), Ability to cast 
  2nd level spells
  Saves: Fortitude save +2
  Class Skills
  The Tarastan Herbalist’s class skills (and the key ability 
  for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), 
  Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animals (Cha), Heal 
  (Wis), Knowledge (Geography) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) 
  (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), 
  Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha). See Chapter 4 in 
  the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
  Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modiﬁer
  Hit Die: d4
  Class Features
  All of the following are class features of the Tarastan 
  Herbalist prestige class.
  Weapon and Armor Proﬁciency: Herbalists gain no 
  proﬁciency in any armor. Note that armor check penalties 
  for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, 
  Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight 
  of Hand, and Tumble. They do gain proﬁciency with one 
  weapon—the sickle.
  Spells per Day: An Herbalist continues to study magic 
  at the same time he studies herbalism, as all Tarastan 
  herbalists are spellcasters to some degree. However, he 
  only gains an additional level of spellcasting mastery 
  every even level gained as an Herbalist. He does not gain 
  any other beneﬁts a character of that class would have 
  gained (Hit points, save bonuses, metamagic or item 
  creation feats, and so on). This essentially means he adds 
  half the levels gained as an Herbalist (rounding down) 
  to the level of some other spellcasting class the character 
  has, and then determines spells per day and caster level 
  accordingly. For example, if Nyush, a 5th level druid, gains 
  his 1st level in Herbalist, he gains new spells as if he had 
  risen to 6th level in druid, but uses the other Herbalist 
  aspects of level progression such as attack bonus and save 
  bonus. If he next gains a level of druid, making him a 6th-
  level druid/1st-level Herbalist, he gains and casts spells as 
  if he had risen to 7th level druid. If a character had more 
  than one spellcasting class before he became an Herbalist, 
  he must decide which class gains half his Herbalist levels 
  for purposes of determining spells per day.
  Bonus Feats: At ﬁrst level and at every odd level 
  thereafter, Tarastan Herbalists gain a bonus Item Creation 
  feat tied to their herbal specialties. Tarasta’s school is 
  quite explicit in teaching the feats in a speciﬁc order. An 
  Herbalist must still meet all prerequisites for a feat to use 
  it.
  Important: These feats are in addition to the feat that 
  a character of any class gets every three levels (as per 
  Table 3-2: Experience and Level-Dependent Beneﬁts from 
  Chapter 3 of the Player’s Handbook). The Herbalist is not 
  limited to the list given here when choosing those feats.
  Bloomagic: At 4th level, Herbalists gain a unique ability 
  to heal plants using spell energies. They can cast any 0th- or 
  1st-level spell but negate its normal effects or abilities in 
  favor of using the energies to restore plant life. This is a 
  lesser version of the Flourish Spell feat or ability, though 
  Table 4:  The Tarastan Herbalist
  Lvl
  Base 
  Attack 
  Bonus
  Fort 
  Save
  Ref 
  Save
  Will 
  Save
  Special 
  Spells per Day
  1
  +0
  +0
  +0
  +2
  Craft Toxins
  2
  +1
  +0
  +0
  +3
  +1 level to current spellcasting class
  3
  +1
  +1
  +1
  +3
  Craft Herbal Restoratives
  4
  +2
  +1
  +1
  +4
  Bloomagic
  +1 level to current spellcasting class
  5
  +2
  +2
  +2
  +4
  Craft Powders & Dust
  6
  +3
  +2
  +2
  +5
  Flourish Spell
  +1 level to current spellcasting class
  7
  +3
  +3
  +3
  +5
  Grow Swathe
  8
  +4
  +3
  +3
  +6
  +1 level to current spellcasting class
  9
  +4
  +4
  +4
  +6
  Create Erlcana
  10
  +5
  +4
  +4
  +7
  +1 level to current spellcasting class
  Tarasta’s School
  
  32
  unlike that ability, the bloomagic talent allows the Herbalist 
  to do any one of the following with said energies:
  • 
  Restore preserved herbs or plants to 
  their healthiest, freshest state;
  • 
  Heal any nonmagical damage to a 
  plant that can be touched directly (a 
  broken stalk, trampled leaves and body, 
  stripped bark, etc.) and encompassed 
  entirely by the Herbalist’s hands. 
  (Equivalent to a mending spell.) 
  Flourish Spell: At 6th level, Tarastan herbalists gain 
  the spell-like ability Flourish Spell, allowing them to use 
  spell energies (either arcane or divine) to heal or affect the 
  growth of plants. See Flourish Spell in Chapter 6 under 
  the New Feats section for more details on this ability’s use. 
  The only difference between that feat and the Herbalist 
  ability is that Flourish Spell can be used twice a day at 
  will. 
  Tarastan Apothecary
  T
  he Tarastan Apothecary reﬂects the teachings 
  and priorities of Tarasta’s School just as the 
  Herbalist does, sharing a respect for both the herbs 
  themselves and those to whom the herbs are administered. 
  Where the Apothecary differs is simply the tight focus 
  on healing and the production, distribution, and use of 
  medicines. 
  Tarastan Apothecaries start out as herbalists, but this 
  class grants them a focus and a new profession with skills 
  beyond the grasp of NPC Experts or those who learned 
  their skills via self-teaching or a lone tutor. 
  Requirements
  To qualify to become a Tarastan Apothecary, you must 
  meet the following criteria:
  Abilities: Wisdom 12 (minimum for casting limited 
  spell repertoire)
  Skills: Heal 1 rank; Profession (Herbalist) 4 ranks, 
  Profession (Apothecary) 8 ranks.
  Class Skills
  The Tarastan Apothecary’s class skills (and the key 
  ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), 
  Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animals (Cha), Heal (Wis), 
  Knowledge (Geography) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), 
  Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), 
  Survival (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha). See Chapter 
  4 in the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
  Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modiﬁer
  Hit Die: d4
  Class Features
  All of the following are class features of the Tarastan 
  apothecary prestige class.
  Weapon and Armor Proﬁciency: Apothecaries gain 
  no proﬁciency in any armor or weapons. Note that armor 
  check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the 
  skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move 
  Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble.
  Spells: An Apothecary does not necessarily know 
  magic before beginning this prestige class. She does gain 
  some small knowledge of natural magics and learns some 
  limited magics normally available to druids, but she uses 
  them more in the manner of a sorcerer, not learning by 
  memorization so much as learning and using by gut 
  instinct and a close connection to the healing powers of 
  nature.
  The Spells noted on Table 5 are marked with two 
  numbers divided by a slash. The ﬁrst number is how many 
  spells the Apothecary knows from her potential spell list. 
  The second number is how many times per day she can 
  actually cast any spells of that level. 
  The Apothecary’s spell list is designed to be very 
  restricted and linked to her knowledge and understanding 
  of plants and herbs and healing, and very little else.
  • 
  O-level: create water, cure minor wounds, 
  detect poison, purify food and drink, virtue.
  • 
  1st-level: calm animals, cure light wounds, 
  goodberry.
  • 
  2nd-level: delay poison, lesser restoration.
  If a character had a spellcasting class before she 
  became a Tarastan Apothecary, she foregoes advancement 
  in that class while she studies and walks the path of the 
  Apothecary.
  Bonus Feats: At ﬁrst level and at every level thereafter, 
  Tarastan apothecaries gain a bonus feat tied to their talents. 
  Tarasta’s school is quite explicit in teaching the feats in a 
  speciﬁc order, but an Apothecary must still meet all feat 
  prerequisites to use it.
  Important: These feats are in addition to the feat that a 
  character of any class gets every three levels (as per Table 
  3-2: Experience and Level-Dependent Beneﬁts in Chapter 
  3 of the Player’s Handbook). The Apothecary is not limited 
  to the list given here when choosing those feats.
  Skill Restrictions: Any skill points earned while 
  learning this prestige class go ﬁrst to Profession 
  (Apothecary) and then to Heal. Those two skills must be 
  at the maximum allowed per level before skill points can 
  be placed among other skills. 
  Table 5: The Tarastan Apothecary 
  Lvl
  Base 
  Attack 
  Bonus
  Fort 
  Save
  Ref 
  Save
  Will 
  Save
  Special 
  Spells 0
  Spells 1
  Spells 2
  1
  +0
  +0
  +0
  +2
  Skill Focus (Profession: Apothecary)
  0
  0
  0
  2
  +1
  +0
  +0
  +3
  Craft Herbal Restoratives
  2/1
  0
  0
  3
  +1
  +1
  +1
  +3
  Bodily Awareness
  3/1
  1/1
  0
  4
  +2
  +1
  +1
  +4
  Diagnosis
  4/2
  2/1
  1/1
  5
  +2
  +1
  +1
  +4
  Craft Toxins
  5/3
  3/2
  2/1
  Chapter 4
  
  33
  Chapter 5: Herbal Catalog
  Herbal Harvests
  Harvest classiﬁcations are not terribly varied but do affect 
  the price and availability of herbs. If various parts of a 
  plant can be used, harvest times are noted for different 
  times to catch all useful parts of a plant.
  • 
  Annuals (or autumnals), like many food crops, 
  take a full season to grow and should not be 
  harvested until their full growth in autumn. 
  (Please note that some autumnals have earlier 
  harvest times, depending on when they are 
  planted, and are noted under each entry)
  • 
  Perennials are herbs that do not need reseeding 
  and regrow every year with little difﬁculty. They 
  have very set patterns of when they bud and 
  bloom (if they do) and equally set patterns as to 
  when the plant matures and begins to die each 
  season. In general, midsummer is the best time 
  for harvesting perennials.
  • 
  Biennials are plants that require two growing 
  seasons to fully mature and produce their fruits, 
  ﬂowers, and seeds. These herbs are generally 
  harvested every second Midsummer, barring 
  any separate details under their entries. 
  Herbal Template
  B
  elow is the template for all herbs useful 
  for 
  alchemists, 
  herbalists, 
  natural 
  healers, 
  apothecaries, and others. Following that is the full 
  catalog. Note that there are a few herbs within the catalog 
  with italicized names—these are ﬁctional herbs, and will 
  not be found in other sources. 
  WARNING: Finally, despite the many uses and 
  comments on the herbs within this catalog, DO NOT 
  attempt to use these herbs for the purposes and uses 
  listed herein in real life unless its use is deemed safe by 
  other true books on herbalism. In ﬁction, these herbs can 
  be made to do many things that will not translate to the 
  real world, and real experts, not game designers, should 
  corroborate even those uses that do overlap. Cumin, 
  fennel, garlic, and echinacea can be found at health food 
  stores and elsewhere, but that doesn’t mean you should 
  try and concoct some herbal poultice or potion during or 
  for your games—these uses are hypothetical and meant 
  for game use, not kitchen- or herbalist-tested for safety. In 
  short, DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME except verbally and 
  within your games. 
  Herb Name
  Rarity: [Deﬁned above as common, uncommon, and rare]
  Environment: [Areas where grown]
  Harvest: [Growth cycle: Annual, Perennial, Biennial]
  Cost: [Baseline price for the herb in its preserved 
  and prepared state, as well as a note on the size and 
  arrangement of said sample]
  Game Use: [Noted in uses as Component (Item or Spell), 
  Decoration (perfume, incense, or dried ﬂowers), 
  Dye/Ink, Herb (Food, Spice, or Tea), Medicine 
  (with immediate health uses although not always a 
  discernible game effect), or Special (with a note on 
  immediate game effects from poisons to magical 
  beneﬁts or drawbacks for this particular herb)]
  T
  here are thousands upon thousands of herbs, 
  plants, mosses and lichens that have some 
  use, either common or esoteric, in both real 
  and ﬁctional worlds. As we have certain space 
  considerations in this book, we’ve provided 
  some of the more useful and exciting plants and herbs in 
  this catalog as a good baseline for understanding herbs 
  and their uses in fantasy game worlds.
  Herbal Definitions
  All the herbs have set classiﬁcations of Rarity, Environment, 
  and Harvest. The deﬁnitions of these are set below within 
  the Herbal Template.
  Herbal Rarity
  Rarity is set at four stages:
  • 
  Common herbs are easily found, though a DC 
  10 in Spot is needed to recognize them from 
  a general description (while those who know 
  plants need no check, assuming they’re in an 
  area where the plant can grow); 
  • 
  Uncommon are still relatively common but only 
  if you know where to look—they take a DC 15 in 
  Spot to recognize or ﬁnd, though anyone skilled 
  in herbalism (either as Profession or Craft), 
  Survival, or other skills focused on ﬁnding 
  natural items in the environment can ﬁnd them 
  with a DC 10;
  • 
  Rare plants and herbs are only found in very 
  particular environments and are difﬁcult even for 
  the skilled seeker (DC 20 for unskilled persons to 
  Spot; DC 15 for skilled persons);
  • 
  Some plants and herbs are extremely rare, and 
  may be unique to one particular area, rather than 
  a general environment (in which case, look at the 
  plant’s terrain type and limit its presence to one 
  or two particular areas in your campaign world 
  that match that terrain). Finding such plants 
  blindly in the wild is almost impossible (Spot 
  DC 35 unskilled; DC 30 for skilled persons), 
  and even if you’re in the place where the herb is 
  known to grow, Spot DCs only improve to 25/20. 
  The herbs may also be raised in a controlled 
  environment. This makes them easier to spot 
  when seeking them, but if that specimen is inside 
  the greenhouse or gardens of Tor Ruthless, your 
  ability to ﬁnd said herb is just as problematic.
  Herbal Environments
  Environment follows the standards used for monsters and 
  for general grading of environments within all D20 game 
  worlds. However, some herbs can be found only under 
  particular climate conditions, and that is marked under 
  Environment as well. Thus, a scrub pine that is found in 
  many mountains and foothills would be marked as Hill/
  Mountain, but the Ice Berry vine is found only in Cold 
  (Arctic/Sub-Arctic) Hills and Mountains.
  Herbal Catalog
  
  34
  The general text on the herb is broken down as follows:
  • 
  The 1st sentence always provides a brief 
  description of the herb.
  • 
  The 2nd sentence lists its general use, its common 
  purpose among unskilled or commoner NPCs, 
  whether as a spice for cooking or for some 
  folklore uses.
  • 
  The 3rd sentence gives the herb’s uncommon 
  purposes/uses among the skilled NPCs, whether 
  they are herbalists, alchemists, or PC wizards 
  and the like.
  • 
  The 4th sentence begins a 2nd paragraph and covers 
  any special circumstances for collecting the herb 
  and not reducing its usefulness while doing so.
  • 
  The next sentence lists any special methods for 
  the preservation of said herb. 
  • 
  The ﬁnal lines in most herbal entries brieﬂy 
  mention the types of items in which it would 
  be used as a component and perhaps list a 
  few magical items that would use the herb in 
  construction and empowerment.
  The Herbs
  Acacia
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Warm lands
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 4 gp/oz. dried ﬂowers or leaves; 6 
  gp/oz. sap; 10gp/pound of wood chips 
  Game 
  Use: 
  Component 
  (Item), 
  Decoration/Incense 
  (Inhaling 
  acacia 
  smoke as incense adds +1 to any Will 
  saves for 1 hour.), Dye/Ink
  Acacia is a smallish tree with thin 
  bark, rounded compound leaves, and 
  clusters of small yellow-and-white 
  ﬂowers. Its bark is most commonly used as an incense, 
  thrown directly onto ﬁres, and its yellow ﬂowers make 
  a subtle dye. The viscous sap ﬂows easily out of the tree 
  when the bark is scored, and many collect it for a variety 
  of uses.
  Collecting and preserving acacia ﬂowers, leaves, and 
  bark takes no special methods, though the gummy sap can 
  only be tapped after midsummer and must be stored in 
  airtight jars to prevent its drying to a hard crusty lump. 
  Acacia gum is a primary component for many ointments 
  and salves.
  Aconite (Wolfsbane)
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any Temperate
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 sp/palm-sized sprig or oz. of seeds; 1 gp/syrup 
  decoction
  Game Use: Component (Spell), Medicine (antidote vs. 
  animal-based poisons, +1 to Fort saves), Poison, Special 
  (Eat within an hour of a lycanthrope’s attack to gain a Fort 
  save (DC 20) to shake off effects of lycanthropic curse).
  Wolfsbane grows as erect green stems covered by 
  glossy dark green leaves with white undersides, and 
  clusters of dark blue to purple ﬂowers shaped like a monk’s 
  hood (thus giving one of its other names—monkshood). 
  It is mildly poisonous to the touch when fresh (inducing 
  a mild rash) and highly poisonous if decocted or infused 
  into food or drink (DC 13 to avoid nausea for 1d4 rounds, 
  then vomiting and 1d4 Str loss). Despite these dangers, it 
  is often kept at hand to prevent the spread of lycanthropy 
  and as a component for invisibility spells. 
  Wolfsbane is always harvested by itself (no harvest of 
  other herbs that day) and the herbalist must wash carefully 
  after said harvest to prevent aconite poisoning beyond 
  the rash from touching the plant. While 
  chewing on dried or fresh aconite 
  can induce the special properties 
  vs. “the werewolf’s curse,” most 
  imbibe a decoction of wolfsbane 
  in a syrup form to disguise the 
  unpleasant taste.
  Agrimony
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Temperate hills
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 cp/oz. of dried ﬂowers 
  and leaves
  Game Use: Component (Spell), 
  Decoration/Scent
  This unassuming plant 
  grows 
  quickly, 
  its 
  twisted 
  rhizomes spreading over low walls and 
  other barriers and its downy serrated leaves 
  sprouting all along its length and sometimes 
  erupting in spikes covered with clusters of 
  tiny ﬁve-petaled golden ﬂowers. The plant 
  is pleasingly aromatic and is kept in tangles to 
  mask bad odors. It also ﬁnds use among wizards 
  as a component for counterspells and abjuration 
  spells.
  Aletris
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any temperate hills 
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 2 gp/oz. of dried ﬂowers 
  Game Use: Component (Item, Spell)
  Aletris is a low-growing plant with triangular fan-
  shaped leaves and stalk-growing clusters of pale blue-
  violet to white ﬂowers. Its uses are limited to a spell 
  component for various abjuration spells and part of the 
  incense for many priestly rituals. 
  Amaranth
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Temperate hills and 
  mountains
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 sp/oz. of dried leaves 
  and ﬂowers
  Game 
  Use: 
  Component 
  (Spells), 
  Dye, 
  Herb/Tea, 
  Medicine 
  (stops 
  bleeding 
  and hp loss when applied 
  to wound as either fresh 
  poultice or dried and taken 
  internally as a tea)
  Maroon to purple ﬂowers 
  grow on the amaranth’s green 
  Chapter 5
  
  35
  stalks, and those stalks redden as they approach their 
  roots, as do the green leaves with reddish undersides. 
  Dried and crushed leaf-and-petal mixtures are a standard 
  tea to cure many stomach ailments or ﬂux, although the 
  ﬂowers and seeds are more frequently crushed and then 
  turned into a bright, unfading maroon to purple 
  dye for clothing or paints.
  Amaranth seeds must be collected by 
  drying the ﬂowers over a sheet and 
  periodically shaking the stalks to 
  loosen the seeds. Amaranth ﬂowers, 
  seeds, and leaves can be used as 
  components in many abjuration and 
  enchantment spells alike.
  Balm of Gilead
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Warm plains and 
  hills
  Harvest: Biennial
  Cost: 4 gp/oz. of dried bark/root or 
  per bud/seed or per 1 oz. resin 
  Game Use: Component (Item, Spell)
  This aromatic evergreen buds in 
  late spring and has no common uses. Its 
  buds, resin, bark, and roots are useful to alchemists and 
  spellcasters alike, the latter for assation and sublimation 
  into various creations. The resin is a base for ingestibles 
  and unguents, and the buds are potent components for 
  charm and enchantment spells. 
  Barley
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Temperate plains and hills
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 5 cp/1 oz. of sprouted seeds or ground 
  meal
  Game Use: Herb/Food, Medicine (boil dose 
  with water and imbibe for immediate reduction 
  of subdual damage by 1 point).
  This low-grade cereal crop is common and 
  grows chest-high for most human farmers; it is 
  used in breads and suspended and fermented in 
  water to make beers and ales. Apothecaries and 
  midwives also use barley-laced water as a medicinal.
  Basil
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any Temperate 
  Harvest: Annual 
  Cost: 5 cp/oz. of leaves, dried or fresh
  Game Use: Herb/Food & Spice & Tea, Medicine (stuff 5 
  fresh leaves into a poisoned wound to gain an immediate 
  Fort Save vs. poison)
  A common herb found in nearly every garden, 
  basil’s rounded leaves and aromatic scent are 
  easily recognized by most folk. It is used most 
  regularly as a cooking spice, but it also works 
  in a hot infusion as a medicine versus internal 
  discomforts. 
  Belladonna
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Temperate forests
  Harvest: Perennial 
  Cost: 5 gp/oz. of dried leaves and ﬂowers, stalks, or root 
  or 1 oz. of berry juice (12 berries)
  Game Use: Poison (DC 15 Nausea/1d8 hp damage 
  per dose ingested), Special (Eat within an hour of a 
  lycanthrope’s attack to gain a DC 20 Fort save to resist 
  lycanthropic curse).
  This plant, the largest of the nightshades, has 
  reddish stalks, bright green leaves with red ribs, 
  and dull purple berries and ﬂowers. Belladonna 
  is highly poisonous and generally only harvested 
  by those creating toxins and poisons. Despite its 
  dangers, belladonna is also used by adepts and some 
  religions in an infusion (either ingested or dropped 
  into the eyes) to aid with visions and auguries in a 
  ritual setting. 
  Little effort need be made to preserve belladonna 
  beyond the normal methods of preservation. 
  Macerated oils of belladonna have the unique 
  distinction of being virulent poisons whether used as 
  a contact poison, injury poison, or ingested poison.
  Betony (Wood)
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: 
  Temperate 
  forests 
  and 
  wooded 
  marshlands 
  Harvest: Perennial 
  Cost: 5 cp/1/2 oz. of leaves or 
  ﬂowers; 1 gp/oz. tincture.
  Game 
  Use: 
  Components 
  (Spells), 
  Decoration, 
  Medicine 
  (analgesic, curative for colds; +1 on 
  Fort save vs. diseases if required)
  Betony grows in a crawling 
  rhizome from which erect stems 
  extend up to two feet in height, 
  covered 
  with 
  ragged-edged 
  leaves in opposed pairs along 
  the vine and stalks. The stems 
  end in a cluster of pink to 
  crimson ﬂowers at the top. 
  Most apothecaries use this 
  in infusions to relieve head 
  congestion, in concoctions to 
  combat headaches, and in a hot 
  poultice with red wine to prevent scarring 
  and to aid in wound closure.
  Wood betony should be harvested as a whole plant 
  and dried hanging upside-down in loose bunches. The 
  roots should be discarded after drying and the seeds 
  and ﬂowers stored in airtight containers separate from 
  the leaves. The most commonly used form of preserved 
  betony is as a tincture, one drop per pint of heated water. 
  The stalks and leaves are always components to aid the 
  barrier effects of any wall spells. 
  Blackthorn
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any forests
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 5 sp/oz. of berries (roughly 1 oz. 
  berry juice) or 2 oz. dried bark; 1 gp/8” 
  length of wood
  Game Use: Components (Item/Spells), 
  Special (Just as garlic is anathema to vampires 
  Herbal Catalog
  
  36
  and they will not enter areas laced with it, blackthorn 
  hedges and areas strewn with this herb are anathema to 
  evil outsiders and demons in particular.)
  Blackthorn is a tough, woody bush that grows in tight, 
  impenetrable thickets and hedges, its ovular leaves and 
  tiny white ﬂowers eventually revealing bright blue berries 
  in summer. These berries, when mashed and decocted and 
  preserved as a paste, are used as a medicinal purgative or 
  as a component of herbal restoratives. It is also used for 
  various spells across numerous schools and foci.
  This 
  herb 
  needs 
  no 
  special 
  preparations 
  or 
  preservations. Blackthorn is a highly adaptable wood and 
  oft-used for wands or, on the rare occasions that it grows 
  large enough and straight enough, staves. 
  Borage
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: 
  Plains 
  and 
  marshlands
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 5 cp/ 10 fresh leaves 
  (food) or 1 oz. of dried leaves 
  (component)
  Game 
  Use: 
  Component 
  (Item/Spell), 
  Herb/Food, 
  Medicine 
  (fresh 
  leaves 
  and ﬂowers pulped and 
  decocted for breaking fevers 
  or 
  waking 
  unconscious 
  victims, 
  especially 
  those 
  made so by poisons—gain a 
  Fort save to ﬁght off illness or 
  poison effects early)
  Borage is among the more hardy of annuals, its hairy 
  oval leaves and blue ﬂowers growing up to 18 inches in 
  height along their stems. The leaves and roots are often 
  chewed when suffering colds or fevers, and waters infused 
  with borage help heal injured or sore eyes. 
  Borage is only used in preserved forms of macerated 
  oils made from fresh leaves, or in dried leaves either for 
  teas or as components in charm and many mind-affecting 
  spells.
  Breeam
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any forests and seacoasts
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 sp/oz. of powdered bark or dried 
  ﬂowers, 1 gp/
  Game Use: Component (Item), Herb/
  Food, Special (tossing a handful of 
  dried bark onto a ﬁre emits a cloud 
  of smoke that turns undead in a 10’-
  diameter for 1d4 minutes as a 1st level 
  cleric)
  Breeam is a tough shrub suited 
  for soft sandy soils, where its roots 
  help toughen the ground. The plant 
  produces strong, straight ﬁbrous to 
  woody stalks, bright yellow ﬂowers, 
  and seed pods that pop when ripe. Its 
  wood is used as thatch where it grows 
  in abundance, as well as for brooms or 
  woven into baskets. If carefully prepared while still freshly 
  harvested, breeam ﬁbers can be pounded into paper or 
  woven into ropes or cloth.
  To get the most out of breeam, all its workings must be 
  done within days of being harvested, unless one simply 
  wishes to dry its ﬂowers and bark. Its ﬂowers or burnt 
  bark and wood provide some components for purity 
  and cleansing rituals (thus their usefulness in smoke vs. 
  undead). After breeam is soaked, heated, then stretched 
  and pounded out to separate and manipulate the ﬁbers, 
  it can be woven into sturdy baskets, further pulped into 
  paper, or woven further into sturdy yarns, cords, and 
  ropes. Its innate purity makes it useful in magical clothing 
  or scrolls.
  Bryony
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any marshlands or fresh water 
  coastlands and riverbanks
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 sp/ 9 berries (fresh or as 1 oz. maceration)
  Game Use: Component, Poison (DC Variable; 
  Nausea/1d3 Str +1d2 Con)
  Bryony is a thick-rooted and fast-growing plant 
  that climbs and clambers over most things in its path 
  or along its rootpath, its brittle stems shooting up 
  from the base with hairy leaves 
  and greenish ﬂowers (that 
  become orange berries 
  in early summer). All 
  parts of this plant 
  are poisonous, some 
  more than others: 
  stalks or root, DC 14, 
  leaves and ﬂowers DC 16; 
  berries DC 17 to resist effects 
  above.
  Special 
  measures 
  are 
  taken only when preserving 
  bryony for spell components, 
  and then it is only to crush together all 
  parts of a ripe vine, then macerate it in oil to be used as 
  components for numerous necromancy and transmutation 
  spells. 
  Buchu
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any temperate
  Harvest: Biennial
  Cost: 5 gp/oz. of leaves or bark, 
  dried and powdered
  Game Use: Components 
  (Item/Spell)
  Buchu is a small 
  shrub-like 
  herb 
  with 
  diamond-shaped 
  leaves, 
  growing in branching woody 
  vines from a central stalk. It has 
  no common uses, save as a random 
  weed used in thatch if nearby. 
  Among seers, diviners, adepts, and 
  spellcasters, buchu is a deﬁnite boon 
  in divinations and visions. 
  In order for buchu to retain its 
  properties after harvesting, the plant 
  must only be cut at night and only with 
  Chapter 5
  
  37
  silver or blessed tools. Similarly, its crushing into powder 
  can only be done with puriﬁed or blessed mortars and 
  pestles. Once powdered and ingested or sprinkled with 
  olibanus on a ﬁre, buchu acts to Maximize the potential of 
  any divinations.
  Caranator
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any mountain forests
  Harvest: Biennial 
  Cost: 12 gp/ 1 oz. of root, dried, 20 gp for whole root, 
  fresh
  Game Use: Component (Item/Spells), Special (chew 
  a thumb-sized piece of root to gain a Will save vs. any 
  charms or enchantments immediately)
  An ugly weed by all accounts, caranator is a tough 
  rhizome that crawls and clambers at great speeds, its dark 
  green heart-shaped leaves with black ribs and undersides 
  hardly brightening the plant. While it can spread over a 5-
  foot-wide area, caranator’s only useful part is its tuberous 
  central root—caranator root, when chewed, helps clear 
  the mind and allows many enchantments to be fought and 
  possibly overcome.
  The root, if cut and dried and powdered, is more easily 
  distributed (by dissolving it into wine or water). It also 
  becomes highly useful as a component for illusions and 
  enchantments.
  Cloth of Gold
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: 
  Temperate 
  to 
  warm hills and mountains
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 gp/oz. of dried seeds (as 
  spice) or by stalk (as dye) or by 
  ﬂower head
  Game 
  Use: 
  Component 
  (Spells), 
  Dye, Herb/Spice, Special (chewing 
  on a ﬂower/six petals as a free action 
  provides a one-round speak with animals 
  effect for imbiber)
  This rare plant grows low to the 
  ground with a tough, variegated stalk of 
  gold and green, tough protective leaves 
  forming a tight sheath on the stalk, and 
  ending in a six-petaled star-shaped ﬂower 
  of white and gold. The stalks and leaves are 
  boiled down to pulpy masses and crushed to release a 
  strong yellow to gold-colored dye, and the ﬂowers and 
  seeds are crushed and dried as a potent and highly desired 
  spice for cooking. Among the most esoteric uses for the 
  ﬂower are its ability to temporarily expand the mind and 
  allow brief communication with animals and its use as a 
  component of evocations.
  The seeds must be extracted from the ﬂower-heads, 
  which are dried ﬂat, by tipping the ﬂowers upside-down 
  after drying to shake the seeds loose. Dyes can only be 
  extracted from the stalks within a month of harvesting, 
  after which they are too dry to be useful. 
  Coriander
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any hills and mountains
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 5 cp/oz. of seeds
  Game Use: Components (Item/Spells), Herb/Food & 
  Spice, Medicine (analgesic)
  Coriander is an aromatic herb of tiny cloud-shaped 
  leaves that can grow on stiff stalks up to 3 feet in height. 
  Infused into water, coriander is a mild restorative and 
  healing agent used by apothecaries, but is most commonly 
  used to spice up food. 
  Coriander seeds are best used as components in spells 
  involving the mind and intellect or as part of a love potion 
  or spell. 
  Cowslip
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any temperate 
  hills, plains, and forests
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 cp/oz. of ﬂowers, 
  dried or root, dried
  Game Use: Component 
  (Spell), 
  Herb/Food, 
  Medicine 
  (Analgesic, 
  Relaxant)
  Cowslip is a short plant 
  with a rosette of wrinkled leaves 
  (velvety 
  on 
  the 
  underside) at the base, from which grows a slim leaﬂess 
  stem that produces a side-canted yellow blossom with a 
  red center. Midwives and apothecaries use cowslip in a 
  bath for relief of aching joints and wounds, and it also 
  can be infused in a tea to induce sleep. Lastly, it can 
  be fermented into a mild white wine that travels 
  and stores well. Spellcasters use cowslip to increase 
  the chances of summoning fey creatures.
  All parts of the plant can be dried and stored 
  together, though only the ﬂowers are useful as spell 
  components. Used with summoning spells, cowslip 
  increases the chances of summoning a fey creature 
  (perhaps even adding an equivalent monster to the 
  summoning lists that might not normally be there).
  Damiana
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any desert or warm plains
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 6 gp/oz. of damiana, ground or cut sprigs
  Game Use: Component (Items/Spells), Decoration/
  Incense
  Damiana is a tough, skinny ground-hugging shrub 
  that grows in warm climes along the edges of deserts, 
  its grayish-green stalks and dark green leaves only 
  producing tiny white ﬂowers 
  in the early spring. Having 
  no commonplace uses, the 
  stalks and leaves are dried, 
  chopped, and mixed together 
  for use as an incense or as a 
  spell component. 
  The 
  ﬂowers 
  and 
  seeds drop off soon after 
  blooming, but that isn’t 
  much help—only the leaves 
  and stalks are harvested. Dried 
  and ground to powder, damiana 
  becomes a primary component of 
  many philters and also sees use in 
  Herbal Catalog
  
  38
  illusions and in emotion-affecting spells. As an incense, 
  it enhances the emotions and personal charismas of those 
  people within its vapors (Cha +1 for 1 hour), but 
  does not have any other game effects unless 
  combined with other herbs to induce 
  hallucinatory visions.
  Dittany (of Crete)
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any temperate
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 5 sp/oz. of dried ﬂowers, 
  buds, or leaves and stalks
  Game Use: Component (Spell), 
  Medicine (decocted in ale or wine to 
  clear the head or help resist lingering effects 
  of poisons—regain 1d3 hp of subdual damage 
  caused by poison or intoxication)
  Dittany of Crete grows only 8 inches high with 
  squarish stalks, velvety round leaves, and seed buds 
  that bloom into tiny purple ﬂowers in late summer. 
  Midwives decoct the plant 
  into wine to ease and 
  speed 
  deliveries, 
  though 
  the 
  same 
  medicines are used 
  to aid in the ﬂushing 
  of poisons from the 
  system. Spellcasters 
  use 
  dittany 
  as 
  a 
  prime 
  component 
  for divinations, either 
  directly 
  using 
  it 
  in 
  casting or burning it in 
  a censer or brazier to 
  manifest spirits and 
  their spells. 
  Dobhran
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Temperate wetlands and swamps
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 cp/oz. of leaves and roots
  Game Use: Component (Item), Dye/Ink.
  The dobhran leaves grow in large clumps from a 
  central stalk, like rhubarb or very tall, broad lettuce, and 
  are easily noticeable as waxy, rounded leaves of deep 
  green with white ribs. The central root and the inside of 
  the leaves contain an oily sap used as an insect repellant 
  and for waterprooﬁng light leathers and canvas. 
  The leaves and root can be pressed to remove the sap, 
  and if reduced by heating, the sap becomes a brilliant blue 
  ink. If the leaves are harvested and allowed to dry ﬂattened 
  under a muslin cloth, their ﬁbers can be twisted together 
  to make cords as strong as hemp or woven together to 
  create clothes or rugs. While having no innate magical 
  potential itself, dobhran inks and ﬁbers are excellent at 
  retaining magic and thus become useful in spellbooks or 
  miscellaneous items.
  Dragon’s Blood
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Warm plains and marshlands
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 6 gp/oz. of resin (liquid) or 1 oz. dried resin or 2 oz. 
  dried bark
  Game Use: Component (Items), Decoration/Incense, 
  Special (adding a pinch of dried dragon’s 
  blood resin to any ingestible has a 50% 
  chance of increasing its effectiveness 
  by +1 per die of effect).
  Dragon’s 
  blood 
  is 
  an 
  evergreen palm tree of small 
  to average height, with tough 
  stringy bark that can be peeled 
  off in strips and a thick amber 
  to crimson resin that can be 
  tapped in early autumn. The 
  bark can be twisted into a rough 
  cord similar to twine, though it also 
  gets dried in small chunks for use as incense. 
  Alchemists love dragon’s blood resin as a reagent 
  for many other substances and it enhances many 
  effects and powers without making the concoctions 
  unstable.
  Dragon’s blood bark can be peeled off nearly 
  year-round, though a tree should never be stripped 
  beyond one side of its trunk. The resin, if kept out of 
  sunlight, can keep for up to eight months without losing 
  its potency. It can also be spread on wooden trays and kept 
  in the sun, so that it dries into hard translucent umber-
  colored lumps. Both the dried and liquid forms of resin 
  are used in many magical and alchemical or herbal items 
  to enhance minor properties of other ingredients. 
  Dryad’s Tears
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any temperate 
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 5 sp/1 pound of berries or 4 oz. fresh leaves; 1 gp/
  bottle of Dryad’s tears wine
  Game Use: Dye, Herb/Food & Spice, Special (odor repels 
  lycanthropes like blackthorn with outsiders and garlic 
  with vampires).
  This berry-laden plant is a climbing, clinging vine with 
  triangular, waxy leaves and thick, succulent stalks with 
  tiny white ﬂowers that turn to bright blue berries that look 
  like tears. Most commoners simply harvest the berries to 
  make easily-stored jams or ferment them into wines, as 
  well as drying and boiling out the essential oils of the fresh 
  leaves in autumn to make a rich blue dye. Spellcasters do 
  much the same with them, though they allow the vines to 
  grow unchecked around their homes to protect them from 
  werewolves and other lycanthropes who can hardly bear 
  the sweet scent of the vines.
  Echinacea
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any temperate plains 
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 8 sp/oz. of dried petals or dried root
  Game Use: Component (Spells), Medicine (aids in 
  preventing illnesses)
  Echinacea, also known as coneﬂower, grows with 
  a smooth stem up to ﬁve feet high, leaves ranging from 
  ovate toothed leaves at the base to smoother spear-shaped 
  leaves higher up. The coneﬂower has a large head, with 
  many small petals ranging from pale orange through 
  red to purple, that blooms for most of the summer. Most 
  Chapter 5
  
  39
  chew the raw or dried echinacea root to prevent infections 
  or to help resist any rampant illnesses. Esoteric uses for 
  echinacea tap their strengthening abilities to maintain the 
  health of a spellcaster using transmutation spells.
  The echinacea root should be dried in long, thin slices 
  to dry out quickly and retain much of 
  its healing potential. Spellcasters 
  use the dried ﬂower petals 
  and seed heads, so the head 
  of the coneﬂower is dried 
  whole and ﬂat on a drying 
  rack, then crushed by hand 
  when casting spells. 
  Euphorbia
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any 
  temperate
  Harvest: Biennial 
  Cost: 
  15 
  sp/1 
  oz. of euphorbia 
  “milk” or 3 oz. 
  dried leaves
  Game Use: Components (Items), Poison (DC 12; Nausea/
  1d3 Str), Special (rub fresh leaves against skin to severely 
  irritate and cause rash and weeping blisters)
  This taprooted herbaceous plant grows on an erect 
  hollow stem covered with lance-shaped leaves, ﬂowering 
  in summer with clusters of two to six white blooms. The 
  skin of the ﬂeshy stems 
  can be cut to collect the 
  milky juice from the 
  plant, which is used 
  as a purgative and 
  poison. Beggars have 
  long used the oily 
  leaves of euphorbia 
  to give themselves 
  rashes and blisters, 
  in order to gain more 
  alms out of pity. The 
  milky sap and the 
  plant itself are used in 
  numerous ointments and 
  balms and polishes, despite 
  its mildly poisonous nature.
  The sap can be collected 
  (roughly 1/20 oz. per plant) and 
  stored in an airtight container out of the sun for up to nine 
  months. The uses of the plant matter stretch far longer, 
  and the milk is highly useful after distillation in many 
  potions. 
  Eyebright
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any hills and plains
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 5 cp/oz. of ﬂowers, dried or fresh or in macerated 
  oil
  Game Use: Component (Item/Spell), Herb/Tea, Medicine 
  (infusions used as eyewashes and aids vs. blindness)
  Never growing more than a foot and inches above their 
  woody roots, eyebright plants creep along the ground, 
  their jagged deep green leaves and purple-veined lilac-
  and-white ﬂowers helping their stems stand out from the 
  grass. As per its name, eyebright has its 
  uses in clearing clouded eyes or helping 
  wash out injured eyes. Drunk as a tea 
  infusion from the ﬂowers, eyebright 
  is a stimulant and helps focus the 
  mind (at least according to wizards 
  and other spellcasters).
  Eyebright needs little preparation 
  or special treatment for preservation, 
  save to macerate the ﬂowers to keep 
  them more than a few weeks. This 
  herb also goes into many spells 
  and items that affect the mind, 
  speciﬁcally those that heighten 
  or sharpen the mind’s clarity or 
  focus.
  Firesnap
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any temperate forests
  Harvest: Biennial 
  Cost: 3 gp/ 1 oz. of dried root
  Game Use: Component (Spells), Special (Snap this root 
  beneath the nose of an unconscious person (or slip a 
  sliver of the dried root beneath the tongue) to give him 
  a temporary hit point for 1 minute in order to move him 
  out of danger).
  Remarkable only for its strong scent and its spiraling 
  shoots that wrap around nearby objects, ﬁresnap appears 
  ordinary above ground—its tiny spade shaped leaves 
  clinging along thin grasping vines, all in a ruddy red-
  brown. The root—the only useful part of the plant for 
  most—is blood red and stronger in scent than onions. 
  Often kept dried in long pieces, ﬁresnap has been useful 
  in reviving fainting princesses for centuries. However, 
  this root has no effect on conscious individuals other than 
  their reactions to the sharp, pungent odor.
  Dried in eighths, as the root tends to be as large around 
  as a tuber or potato, ﬁresnap is only useful in pieces longer 
  than it is wide, so that it can be snapped and its scent 
  released easily. Dried and ground root loses much of its 
  odor, but ﬁresnap is an effective component for evocation 
  spells as well.
  Fools’ Weed
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any marshlands and riverbanks
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 cp/oz. of leaves or ﬂowers, dried or fresh
  Game Use: Component (spells), Herb/Food, Special 
  (Chewing on 5 fresh leaves or an ounce of dried leaves 
  provides a calming effect and allows a Will save to help 
  end any fear or rage effects, including barbarian rages)
  These fernlike weeds have small hollow stalks that end 
  in seed fronds, and the leaves cluster in trios along the stalk, 
  resembling the three-pronged jester’s cap and giving the 
  plant its name. The leaves and stalks are commonly eaten 
  as a leafy snack or lettuce of sorts, but fools’ weed is most 
  often used by commoners as an infused tea to help them 
  sleep. Adventurers soon learned that it had beneﬁcial anti-
  psychotic properties and proved useful against fear and 
  rage and other emotional powers and effects.
  No major harvesting or drying methods are required 
  for fools’ weed. Spellcasters prize this plant as a component 
  in illusions or enchantments, and its effects survive 
  Herbal Catalog
  
  40
  decoction into potions and unguents. If macerated down 
  to a tincture, one drop would induce a Will save against 
  any mental effects.
  Galangal
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any hills or plains
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 3 gp/oz. of dried galangal root or 1 oz. of stems, 
  dried and crushed
  Game Use: Component (Spells), Herb/Spice, Medicine 
  (Analgesic)
  Galangal grows on an erect hollow stem like numerous 
  other herbs, and its leaves reinforce the stem before growing 
  beyond the sheathe and becoming spear-shaped leaves of 
  green with a whitish underside. The plant crowns itself 
  with a seed bud that rarely ﬂowers, though winds carry 
  off the light seeds as they mature 
  and separate from the 
  bud. 
  Commoners 
  boil the mild stems 
  in milk to relieve 
  colicky babies and 
  crumble the dried root 
  over meats and stews 
  to add a ﬂavor similar 
  to ginger with a slightly 
  nuttier aftertaste. Among 
  spellcasters, the dried root sees 
  use as an effective counterspell 
  component as well as one for 
  abjurations and conjurations.
  Hawthorn
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any temperate
  Harvest: Perennial (Deciduous shrub/tree)
  Cost: 5 cp/ 1 oz. of dried blossoms or 3 oz. of twigs/
  wood
  Game Use: Components (Items), Special (sprinkling the 
  fresh pollen from the fronds of the hawthorn blossoms into 
  the eyes allows anyone to see faeries and fey creatures, 
  despite any invisibility on their part, for up to an hour)
  Hawthorns are quick-growing wood trees that can 
  reach 30 feet in height unless kept as brambles and 
  hedgerows, ﬁlled with their strong-smelling ﬁve-petaled 
  white ﬂowers with red pollen apices at 
  the center. Midwives and commoners 
  tell of the wood’s ability to increase 
  fertility, making it a popular wood 
  to work into bed headboards. 
  Popular fables also link it to 
  witches, saying hawthorns 
  grew when witches tried 
  to imitate the powers of 
  druids and dryads.
  No 
  special 
  arrangements 
  or 
  methods are needed 
  to harvest or preserve 
  hawthorn, 
  though 
  the 
  pollen’s 
  effects 
  on the eyes only works 
  with fresh pollen straight 
  off a tree, not anything 
  stored or used later. Hawthorn branches and twigs make 
  excellent wands and staves (and is the primary wood used 
  in the mythical staff of thunder and lightning). Lastly, few 
  beyond herbalists know this but holy symbols carved 
  from hawthorn wood repel ghosts as if the cleric were a 
  level stronger in his faith. At the very least, a house with 
  hawthorn wood doors or trim never suffers the trespasses 
  of ghosts.
  Hemlock
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any temperate forests or marshlands
  Harvest: Biennial
  Cost: 15 sp/oz. of juice or per 4 oz. of dried leaves and 
  roots
  Game Use: Component (Spells), Medicine (cure-all), 
  Poison (DC 15, Paralysis for 1d2 hours/1d2 Con +1d4 
  Str)
  A malodorous scent deﬁnes hemlock before you see 
  the erect plant with a smooth woody stalk and feathery 
  brush-like leaves and tiny white ﬂowers. Commoners 
  use this plant’s juices, highly diluted in salves or mixed 
  in wine, as an analgesic and sedative, knowing full well 
  that its full-strength juice is an intense poison. Esoteric 
  uses for the herb fall under the darker magics, as beﬁts its 
  virulence.
  Hemlock must be harvested at night and the whole 
  plant—leaves, ﬂowers or berries, roots, and stems—must 
  be mashed into pulp and crushed to drain the juices. 
  Hemlock juice exposed to sunlight evaporates quickly, so 
  it is rarely used directly but is a main ingredient in many 
  oil-based poisons. The only use for the plant remnants 
  after removing the juice is as dried spell components for 
  many necromancy spells. 
  Holly
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any forests or light woods
  Harvest: Biennial
  Cost: 5 7sp/oz. of berries or leaves (dried or fresh)
  Game Use: Components (Items/Spells), Medicine (leaf 
  tea to ﬁght fevers)
  Holly’s spined waxy leaves and white or red berries 
  are easily spotted when it is found, growing anywhere 
  from small evergreen shrubs up to a 50-foot high bush 
  or hedgerow. Of all the herbs in existence, there are more 
  folklore remedies and tales tied to holly than any other 
  herb. Carrying it brings everything from good luck for 
  children to protection from lightning or mischievous 
  sorcerers. Brewing leaves into a tea increases body 
  temperatures but also breaks fevers. Spellcasters and 
  learned individuals do ﬁnd many uses for the herb as 
  a spell and item component.
  A hardy plant, holly’s powers are great only 
  if no metals are used in harvesting (i.e. bone or 
  stone knives). Berries and leaves must be dried 
  separately, and the remaining stems are discarded 
  (and macerating the dried berries creates a base used 
  for poisons and curatives alike). Among spellcasters, 
  holly leaves and berries are used for abjuration spells or 
  anything designed for protection.
  Hops
  Rarity: Common
  Chapter 5
  
  41
  Environment: Any temperate
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 1 cp/ 12 buds
  Game Use: Herb/Food, Medicine (Chewing on 
  a bud acts as a sedative and calms down 
  a person, as does an infusion of 
  crumbled buds).
  This 
  climbing 
  herbaceous 
  plant grows easily and quickly, 
  its thick roots sending out shoots 
  of climbing tendrils that wind 
  in clockwise patterns around 
  anything within reach of its heart-
  shaped leaves. After the ﬂowers 
  bloom in late spring, the catkins at their 
  centers mature into the tough buds used 
  by brewers to help preserve their beers. 
  Thus, hops are found all over any d20 worlds and 
  used heavily by brewers, with, alas, no esoteric uses 
  whatsoever, save for a wizard’s own beer supplies.
  Hyssop
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any temperate
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 cp/ 4 oz. of leaves or 2 full stalks of leaves or 3 
  bunches of ﬂowers
  Game Use: Component (Spells), Decoration/Incense, Dye, 
  Medicines (various)
  This shrub-like herb does not wander far off its root 
  stem like other herbs, and its strong woodsy stalk 
  grows straight and tall with lance-shaped leaves 
  growing every few inches along it, the bright 
  blue ﬂowers of summer occurring in whorls of 
  a dozen or more blossoms. Hyssop is among 
  the most commonly used of a midwife’s or 
  apothecary’s herbs—in tea infusions and 
  gargles to calm stomach discomforts and 
  soothe raw throats, soaked in dry sachets 
  in baths to help body aches and pains, 
  and as an unguent vs. rashes and 
  bug bites and stings. Beyond 
  medicinals, the ﬂowers and 
  roots can be boiled to make 
  deep blue dyes and paints. 
  Esoteric uses see it as the 
  most common incense 
  or smudging herb for 
  puriﬁcation rites and 
  cleansing of areas and 
  items. 
  Tied in bunches and 
  dried immediately after 
  midsummer, the hyssop 
  blossoms 
  don’t 
  fade 
  in color. The leaves are 
  usually just dried, though 
  macerating them in oil and 
  beeswax makes a balm that can 
  be easily stored for years. Hyssop 
  blossoms and leaves in oil create a 
  purplish-black oil that can be burned as 
  a lamp oil in temples and achieve similar 
  effects of puriﬁcation without smudging. Hyssop ﬂowers 
  are highly useful as components for counterspelling 
  necromancy spells or casting abjuration spells.
  Juniper
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any temperate forests or hills
  Harvest: Perennial/Evergreen
  Cost: 5 cp/oz. of berry juice or 20 berries or 3 
  oz. bark or twigs
  Game Use: Herb/Food & Spice & Tea, 
  Medicine (poison antidote, salve or tea to 
  speed healing)
  Junipers are aromatic evergreen trees 
  and shrubs with green nettles smelling of 
  pine and differentiated by the tiny green 
  to black berries all over them. The berries 
  take three years to ripen, but there are 
  always berries of varying age on each bush, 
  so harvesting is easy any time of year. 
  Seven juniper berries are often prescribed 
  as an immediate and sometimes helpful 
  poison antidote (Fort save allowed at –2, 
  only against herbal poisons), though most 
  often commoners decoct the berries and 
  bark into salves to soothe skin ailments or 
  help keep a wound clean. Oddly enough, 
  for all its curative uses, there seems to be no magical use 
  for juniper, though it is part of numerous alchemical and 
  herbal creations.
  Karan (Myrrh)
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any warm plains or 
  desert
  Harvest: Annual 
  Cost: 2 gp/oz. of dried resin or 4 
  oz. dried wood
  Game Use: Component (Items), 
  Decoration/Incense & Perfume 
  Karan is a small brown shrub 
  densely covered in waxy spade-
  shaped green leaves. The karan 
  wood and its dried leaves are burnt 
  to purify areas, but given its rarity, 
  this is only done in some temples. More 
  often, the leaves are dried out and mixed 
  with the drying resin to create incense, 
  while the fresh resin has also been used 
  as a perfume. Tapping the dark resin and 
  assating it makes it useful for alchemists and 
  wizards in numerous healing and protective 
  devices. 
  Larkspur
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any temperate ﬁelds
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 7 sp/oz. of ﬂowers, dried or fresh or 1/8 oz. 
  dried seeds or seed powder
  Game Use: Decoration, Poison (DC 14; Nausea 1d4 
  hours)
  Larkspur grows up to three feet tall, with tiny oblong 
  leaves and blue to purple blossoms through the summer 
  that lead to the ﬂattened black seeds by autumn. The 
  ﬂowers are pretty and abundant enough to lead to cuttings 
  used as decoration, but most simply wait until after the 
  autumnal equinox and harvest the black seeds for use as 
  an emetic poison. 
  Herbal Catalog
  
  42
  Magirosa (Rose of Mages)
  Rarity: Rare (nearly exclusive to 
  cultivated forms in exact locales)
  Environment: Wizards’ gardens 
  (cultivated) 
  or 
  temperate 
  mountains (wild)
  Harvest: Biennial
  Cost: 15 gp/ rosebud (fresh or 
  dried) or 1 gp/petal or 1 oz. dried 
  thorns
  Game Use: Components (Spells), 
  Decoration
  Developed a few centuries ago 
  by a mage-herbalist, rose of mages 
  looks and smells like the common 
  deciduous rose save that its waxen branches 
  are jet black and its ﬂowers come out a midnight blue with 
  a few specks of white (leading some to call this the starlit 
  rose). It has no common uses, as it is still limited to 
  cultivated patches in walled gardens (though this can 
  change in anyone’s world if so desired by the GM). 
  Wizards prize this plant, as its petals can be used as 
  a universal spell component substitute in nearly 
  all magics save for necromancy or evocations.
  Harvesting the plant in order to retain its 
  special qualities requires the use of no tools 
  beyond mage hand or prestidigitation to pluck the 
  rosebuds or fully bloomed roses from the bush; 
  harvesting or preserving the thorns requires no 
  special treatment. Preservation needs only to 
  separate petals and spread them across drying 
  cloths to dry them and keep them useful for spell 
  components, though dried full rosebuds are more 
  useful for item creation.
  Maguey
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any warm desert
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 5 gp/oz. of powdered root
  Game Use: Component (Items/Spells)
  This small, ugly cactus-like plant only grows 
  as high as a foot in thick succulent 
  spiny leaves not unlike very 
  thick holly leaves. The only 
  part of the plant used by 
  anyone is the root, which in 
  dried and powdered forms 
  is a powerful aphrodisiac. 
  Thus it is a highly sought-
  after component for philters 
  and potions and spells that 
  affect emotions.
  Mandrake
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any temperate to 
  sub-tropical hills
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 sp/oz. of dried root or one fruit, fresh 
  or dried
  Game Use: Component (Spells), Medicine (fruits prepared 
  as analgesics and sedatives, root useful versus mania or 
  melancholy) Poison (DC 17; Unconsciousness & Sleep 1d8 
  hours/1d2 Con*)
  Mandrake appears with light brown erect stalks up to 
  a foot high, with ovate dark green leaves that ﬂatten 
  upon the ground over time, the greenish-white cup-
  shaped ﬂowers eventually producing a round green 
  fruit by early summer. Mandrake gets its name and 
  notoriety from its brown turnip-like root that often 
  splits in two or four parts and sometimes resembles 
  a man (leading to its use as a poppet by some witches 
  and adepts). Popular folklore gives this plant many 
  uses, from the whole root as a fertility amulet to its fresh 
  fruits capable of ridding anyone of spiritual possession. 
  The root, decocted in teas or a tiny bit chewed directly, acts 
  as an anesthetic and removes pain by seriously sedating 
  the imbiber (Fort Save or sleep for 1d4 hours), but this is 
  best done only by an apothecary or the treatment acts as a 
  poison (as above).
  No special preparations must be made to harvest or preserve 
  mandrake roots (beyond the normal cutting 
  to dry it more evenly) or fruits. 
  Spellcasters ﬁnd mandrake 
  useful in sleep spells and 
  it seems particularly 
  helpful in summoning 
  or banishing spells 
  involving outsiders 
  (though 
  never 
  as 
  effective 
  as 
  the 
  folklore 
  that 
  suggests 
  a 
  mandrake root on 
  the door prevents 
  any 
  passage 
  by 
  demons).
  Mantle Sage
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any Temperate (uncommon in mountains)
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 2 gp/oz. of dried leaves or ﬂowers or 1 oz. macerated 
  oil of same
  Game Use: Components (Items), Decoration/Incense, 
  Dye/Ink, Herb/Spice
  Variegated and tinged with blue, purple and red 
  across the thin arrow-shaped leaves; mantle sage 
  grows on erect stems (up to 40 inches high) with 
  many woody branches that erupt in blood-red 
  late summer ﬂowers atop the stems. The dried 
  ﬂowers, leaves, and roots mixed in candle wax 
  and burned creates its name—the smoke is heavy 
  and clings to the area close to the candle, creating 
  a pungent mantle around the user. The ﬂowers 
  also have uses in dyes and inks. 
  Leaves, ﬂowers and roots must all be 
  harvested and dried separately. Unless 
  immediately ground up and mixed into 
  candles, mantle sage has a short shelf life 
  compared to other herbs; it is impotent after 4 
  months in its dried state, unless reduced to inks or dyes, 
  or macerated into oils for use as such later. Spellcasters use 
  mantle sage in apparently the same ways as commoners, 
  though they alone know that the red inks created by the 
  root and ﬂowers hold magics well and are a common ink 
  used on evocation spell scrolls. They also use its clinging 
  smoke property in magical incenses and candles. 
  Chapter 5
  
  43
  Mastic
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any temperate
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 2 gp/3 oz. of leaves, dried or fresh or 1 oz. mastic 
  oil
  Game Use: Component (Items/Spells), Decoration/
  Incense
  Mastic is a low-growing fern that never 
  exceeds 10 inches in height, with narrow light 
  green leaves in pairs along the tapering 
  ﬂexible brown stems. Mastic leaf, as 
  an incense by itself, is unremarkable, 
  but it has the ability to sharpen and 
  enhance other incenses and essences. 
  As such, crushed mastic is useful to 
  anyone creating alchemical, herbal, 
  or magical items as an enhancer of 
  essential oil properties.
  Only the leaves are useful, 
  though the plant needs to be cut 
  down each autumn, so most tend 
  to dry mastic leaves on the stems 
  upside-down and then collect the 
  dry leaves later (as opposed to drying 
  ﬂat on trays). To best preserve mastic’s 
  properties for item use, mastic should be 
  macerated in cold oil, though dried mastic 
  leaf is a useful added component when casting 
  Maximized spells or as a general component 
  for conjurations. 
  Mistletoe
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: MPD
  Harvest: Annual (harvest in early winter)
  Cost: 1 sp/ 4 fresh berries or a hand-sized sprig of 
  dry mistletoe wood
  Game 
  Use: 
  Component 
  (Spells), 
  Decoration
  Mistletoe is a parasitic plant found 
  growing on the limbs and trunks of larger 
  deciduous trees such as oaks, producing 
  tough 
  white-green 
  ever-branching 
  stems with white berries at nearly every 
  offshoot. Like holly, mistletoe has more 
  folklore attached to it than true uses, and 
  is most commonly used as a decoration 
  (or as an invitation to steal a kiss from anyone 
  standing beneath it). Among spellcasters, mistletoe 
  is revered and used heavily by druids and herbalists, as 
  the mashed or dried berries are useful in numerous herbal 
  restoratives and unguents. 
  Only gold implements should be used in the harvesting 
  of mistletoe, to ensure that its viability and essence remain 
  unspoiled. Mistletoe berries’ potency does not carry over 
  to a dry state, so berries are often quickly mashed and 
  reduced to tinctures or decocted into a diluted liquid that 
  stores well. It is a universal spell component for druids.
  Mugwort
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any temperate
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 cp/oz. of leaves or ﬂowers, dried or fresh 
  Game 
  Use: 
  Component 
  (Items/Spells), 
  Herb/Tea, 
  Medicine (reduces or eliminates cramps or other problems 
  tied to female reproduction)
  This aromatic plant grows 3 to 4 feet high, with 
  angular umber-colored stems, green leaves smooth on 
  top and covered in white hairs beneath, and its button-
  like ﬂowers that bloom ochre to gold in color. Folklore 
  says placing mugwort ﬂowers in your shoes allows you to 
  walk extraordinary distances (though to no game effect), 
  but most common uses for mugwort lie in midwifery and 
  its relief of many ailments tied to pregnancy. 
  This hardy plant needs little pampering or special 
  treatment in harvesting and is viable in nearly any 
  preserved preparations. As a spell component, mugwort 
  is most useful for divinations, and is used in item creation 
  to purify and prepare scrying devices.
  Mullein
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any temperate 
  Harvest: Biennial
  Cost: 3 sp/ 1 oz. of ﬂowers or leaves, dried 
  or fresh
  Game Use: Decoration (ﬂowers), Herb/
  Tea, Medicine (general laxative and good vs. 
  digestive ailments)
  Mullein grows up to ﬁve feet tall on stalks 
  covered in woolly white-green leaves, its ﬂowers 
  growing in a tight spike atop the stalks in midsummer. 
  Mullein ﬂowers and leaves are infused into teas to 
  mediate all manner of stomach and digestive ailments, 
  even gargled to alleviate toothaches. Infused and 
  macerated oils and ointments prove useful against burns 
  and the strong odor helps open clogged nasal passages 
  for aid in breathing.
  Olibanus (Frankincense)
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any warm plains or forests
  Harvest: Perennial 
  Cost: 5 sp/oz. of dried gum resin 
  Game 
  Use: 
  Component 
  (Items), 
  Decoration/Incense
  This deciduous tree grows in warmer 
  climes and sheds its elliptic pointed leaves 
  every fall, which is the best time to tap the 
  tree for its gummy resin, from which incense 
  is made. The wood isn’t good for burning 
  or carving, so the only uses any folk have for 
  olibanus is as an incense producer. Alchemists use 
  olibanus heavily in creating alchanas. Some say that the 
  scent of olibanus can keep away those outsiders who have 
  fallen from grace, as the smell reminds them of holy places 
  (but this has not been proven to be universally true).
  Orris
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any temperate to sub-tropical hills
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 2 gp/oz. of ﬂowers or root, dried or fresh
  Game Use: Components (Spells), Decoration/Perfume, 
  Dye
  Orris’ lilac to blue coloration and uses are all that 
  separate it from other irises. So rare but so beloved to 
  Herbal Catalog
  
  44
  commoners, most orris plants are found in 
  royal gardens or near noble estates so they 
  may beneﬁt from the perfumes derived 
  from the dried root or the dyes from 
  the plant’s juices, which are used to 
  bleach hair, skin, or linens. Herbalists 
  use this plant in numerous unguents 
  and powders, while spellcasters use the 
  ﬂowers as components for scrying and 
  divination. 
  Rowan
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any temperate
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 sp/oz. of leaves or 6 berries
  Game Use: Components (Items/Spells), Special 
  (Rowan wood always gets a Fort. saving throw 
  against magic, even if not enchanted or treated, and 
  has a 50% chance of naturally boosting an enchantment 
  by +1 when created.)
  Rowan is a small deciduous tree (up to 30 feet in 
  height) that produces saw-toothed, lance-shaped 
  leaves and orange to red berries. Using a walking 
  stick made from rowan wood protects the 
  bearer from blisters, according to common 
  folklore, and many carry two rowan twigs 
  twined together as protection against 
  random evils and spells. Still, despite 
  all the folklore, there are no common 
  uses for rowan. Alchemists love 
  rowan wood for its strength and its 
  even ﬂame, as well as its protective 
  qualities. Spellcasters use rowan as 
  one of the hardwoods for staves 
  and wands, and its ability to 
  help protect bearers from magic 
  makes it highly sought for use in 
  shields. Druids use rowan wood 
  and berries only slightly less than 
  oak, holly and mistletoe, and its 
  berries or twigs are often used as 
  spell components. 
  Sukake (Citron)
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any warm hills or plains
  Harvest: Biennial 
  Cost: 5 pp/ 1 sukake segment, fresh or dried
  Game Use: Component (Spells), Poison (Narcotic DC 13 
  Int -1 and Wis -1/Sleep 1d4 hours)
  Sukake is a small, unassuming tree that 
  produces emerald green waxen tear-
  shaped leaves and small yellow 
  fruit every second year. The 
  fruit, to a commoner, tastes like 
  lemons though their ﬂesh inside 
  the rind is a pale orange to dark 
  yellow, and the fruit only serves 
  to induce hallucinations or drop 
  the victim into a dream-ﬁlled sleep 
  of wild visions. If properly prepared, 
  priests and other spellcasters can eat a 
  sukake as a free action while casting a 
  divination to make the spell act as if cast 
  with a Maximize Spell feat. However, they also must 
  ride out the effects of the fruit and fall into a coma-
  like sleep for 1d4 hours before they can report 
  on the divination’s effectiveness.
  Sweetspire
  Rarity: 
  Uncommon 
  (temperate), 
  Common (warm)
  Environment: Any Temperate or Warm 
  lowlands, plains, and marshes
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 sp/oz. of dried or liquid resin or 
  one leaf, fresh or dried (price drops to 5cp in 
  warm climes) 
  Game Use: Component (Spells), Herb/Food, 
  Special (smear fresh sap directly onto ﬂesh to 
  cancel out any effects of natural cold, as it warms 
  skin on contact)
  Sweetspire is a small tree that reaches upwards of 
  20 feet in height, its thick trunk sheathed by the waxen 
  and succulent leaves that spiral up the central trunk and 
  end in convex triangular shapes not unlike the smaller 
  aloe vera shrub. The tree gains its name from its 
  gummy sap, which is edible and quite sugary. 
  The resin is a natural sedative and is also 
  a food source for many small animals. 
  Sweetspire has many common uses, as 
  its sap-ﬁlled leaves can be boiled down 
  and fermented into a potent sweet white 
  wine that travels well, and the leaves 
  can also be dried to make an incredible 
  kindling (the resin within the dried leaf is 
  highly ﬂammable). Adventurers carry small 
  bottles of the resin for making torches or easy-
  starting ﬁres. 
  While harvesting is of little consequence or 
  problem, preservation of the sweetspire leaves must 
  be done quickly. Drying the succulent leaves involves 
  an hour of light baking within an oven or ringing a 
  campﬁre within six hours of harvesting, and then the 
  leaves must be dried separately on racks for another 
  month. In this form, wizards use the leaves as components 
  for ﬁre spells. A little-known use for the fresh fronds and 
  resin is this: they provide an immediate Fortitude save 
  against any paralysis effects if two or more leaves are 
  broken open and smeared onto a victim’s skin (save at -1 
  if only swallowed).
  Tallquill
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Temperate lowlands and 
  marshlands
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 4 cp / 8 stalks, whole or 1 oz. 
  ground seeds (for ink); 2 sp/1 sheet 
  paper 
  Game Use: Component (Item), Dye/Ink
  Tallquill reeds grow up to their full 
  height of four feet and sprout tassels of 
  seeds twice a year, in early summer and 
  late autumn. Commoners harvest tallquill 
  reeds to use as kindling or thatch, or as 
  bedding for animals. The learned folk grind 
  down the seeds and boil the reeds to create 
  cheap and highly effective inks and paper. 
  Chapter 5
  
  45
  Once boiled to pulp, the reeds can be ﬂattened 
  and spread out like papyrus, forming strong 
  nonacidic papers, and the seeds are ground 
  and mixed with oils and water to make 
  inks. While totally nonmagical in nature, 
  tallquills are still highly prized by 
  scholars as a constant source of paper 
  and inks (the reeds can also be dried 
  and sharpened as quill pens for a 
  third scholarly use). 
  Tamarisk
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any warm hills and 
  seacoasts
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 gp/ 1 pound of dried tamarisk 
  bundles
  Game 
  Use: 
  Components 
  (Items/Spells), 
  Special (Burning tamarisk is as offensive to 
  any reptilian creature, from snakes up to 
  dragons, as garlic is to vampires.)
  Tamarisk grows on straight hollow 
  stems that reach close to three feet in 
  height, with frequent small branches 
  covered with tiny leaves or topped by 
  heavy tassels of gold ﬂowers in summer. 
  Often used by lay people and priests in 
  exorcisms, tamarisk has no commonplace 
  uses. It is highly sought by all alchemists 
  and practitioners of magic for its leaves 
  and stalks, both of which are used heavily 
  in transmutation and evocation spells as 
  well as in many higher alchana (Tamarisk 
  is rumored to be an essential ingredient for 
  Emerald Tablets.). 
  Tamarisk must be harvested only with gold 
  and silver implements (preferably a gold ax 
  and a silver pruning knife). It is dried in 
  bunches upside-down and whole, although 
  macerations of crushed stems and fresh 
  leaves are common among alchemists. 
  Some attempts have been made to 
  cultivate this plant to grow larger so 
  reptile-slaying arrows might be carved 
  from it, but to no avail. 
  Turmeric
  Rarity: Rare
  Environment: Any warm marshlands 
  and lowlands
  Harvest: Annual
  Cost: 2 gp/ 1 oz. of turmeric oil or 2 oz. 
  fresh leaves
  Game Use: Components (Items/Spells)
  The rare turmeric plant shoots up from 
  a small root into a sheathe that unfolds thin 
  but tough white-green waxen leaves along 
  the thick, well-protected stem. Unused by 
  commoners, turmeric leaf is best dried 
  and powdered for use in abjurations, or 
  mashed and the essential oils drained 
  and stored for use in puriﬁcation and 
  protection rituals.
  Valerian
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any hills and lower mountains
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 cp/ 1 oz. of dried root
  Game Use: Herb/Tea, Medicine (analgesic 
  and sedative)
  Often found by its strong scent, valerian 
  grows on slim but erect stems with long, hairy 
  saw-toothed leaves and topped in summer 
  by pinkish ﬂower combs and bunches. It is 
  among the more useful herbs for apothecaries, 
  midwives, and commoners, put to use in teas or 
  tonics to ease pain, aid sleep, and relax muscles. It 
  has no esoteric uses directly, though its oils are useful 
  in sleep potions and items with tranquilizing effects. 
  Vervain
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any temperate mountains and 
  hills
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 sp/ 1 oz. of leaves, dried
  Game Use: Components (Items/Spells), 
  Decoration/Incense, 
  Special 
  (Fresh 
  or dried whole plants are useful in 
  cleansing an area of corruption or evil 
  spirits, both as smudging incense and 
  as brooms—+1 level to any turning or 
  rebuking attempts against undead or 
  other spirits for one hour after burning)
  Vervain grows stifﬂy erect up to two feet 
  high, with saw-toothed leaves of three lobes 
  each and blossoms that grow in spikes atop 
  the main stems and strong side branches. 
  Vervain is only used among commoners 
  as a cleansing agent, either as strong 
  brooms or burned as incense to clear 
  away foul odors. Alchemists have many 
  uses for vervain in all its forms; priests 
  use the plant—dried and crushed—as a 
  temple incense, and magic-users ﬁnd the 
  leaves useful in divinations.
  Wormwood
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any temperate to warm hills 
  and plains
  Harvest: Perennial 
  Cost: 5 cp/ 1 oz. of dried leaves and stems
  Game Use: Herb/Food, Medicine (Infusions used as 
  digestive agents and to help expel internal 
  parasites), Poison (DC 11, Nausea/1d3 
  subdual)
  Wormwood is an ugly perennial 
  with a tough, dyspeptic green stalk 
  that grows three feet high and emits 
  regular pale green three-bladed leaves 
  and pale olive ﬂowers come summer. 
  Twigs, leaves, and ﬂowers boiled in 
  water create a common curative for 
  digestive ills, though taken and chewed 
  undiluted or fresh the plant is poisonous. 
  Alchemists and brewers also boil and 
  Herbal Catalog
  
  46
  ferment (and sometimes further distill) wormwood to 
  create and enhance stronger spiced wines.
  Yarrow
  Rarity: Common
  Environment: Any temperate 
  lowlands and marshlands
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 cp/ hand-comb of 
  ﬂowers (roughly 1/10 oz of 
  ﬂowers if crushed) or 1 oz. 
  dry leaf
  Game 
  Use: 
  Components 
  (Spells), 
  Decoration, 
  Medicine 
  (leaves 
  contain 
  oils that help stop bleeding if 
  placed on an open wound)
  Yarrow is an erect plant 
  of slight stems, fern-like leaves 
  formed of hundreds of tinier leaves, 
  and small white ﬂowers that grow 
  in ﬂat combs and clusters atop the herb. 
  Yarrow’s most common use is as a natural 
  antiseptic 
  and 
  coagulant—the 
  medieval 
  version of a sterile bandage—placed over cuts 
  or applied as a poultice to major wounds. It is 
  the wizards’ tea of choice, its strong smell often wafting 
  out of tower windows, though its ﬂowers are also used for 
  spell components. 
  Flowers must be harvested in whole combs or clusters. 
  If used as spell components, they must be divided into 
  small hand-sized clusters and dried, hanging them 
  upside down and out of the wind to avoid 
  knocking any tiny ﬂowers loose. Dried 
  yarrow ﬂower works as an excellent 
  component for enchantments, love 
  charms, 
  friendship 
  spells, 
  and 
  other spells affecting Charisma and 
  emotions. Fresh yarrow brewed in 
  tea aids concentration and some 
  mages insist it increases their intellect 
  (though not with any direct game 
  effects).
  Yucca
  Rarity: Uncommon
  Environment: Any warm plains or deserts
  Harvest: Perennial
  Cost: 5 sp/ 1 oz. of leaves, dried or fresh
  Game Use: Component (Spells), Herb/Food
  This evergreen plant grows no higher than two feet, 
  its thick cluster of dagger-shaped leaves hiding a central 
  stalk from which grow large white ﬂowers. Long thought 
  pretty, many ﬁnd the root of this plant useful to mash and 
  create a starchy, heavy travel bread. Magic-users have 
  long prized yucca leaves as aids for shapeshifting.
  No special preparations are needed to harvest or dry 
  yucca root for food, though the leaves must be carefully 
  and individually plucked off the stem and root structure, 
  as tears in the leaf render it useless for magical purposes. 
  Similarly, drying yucca leaves must be covered to help 
  them stay ﬂat and long. To activate the magics in them, 
  the leaves are twisted when used as spell components 
  for transmutation and evocation spells. They can also be 
  twisted together and looped around a ﬁnger, an arm, or 
  as a crown around the head (if casting primitively and 
  ritually like adepts).
  Variable Costs
  A
  ll the herbs and many of the alchemical 
  compounds cataloged in this work 
  have a base price that takes into account 
  proper harvesting, preservation, 
  and storage. However, that base 
  price is always ﬂexible—just like with the real 
  world and its commodities. As expected, the cost 
  of an herb or component derives from its base 
  classiﬁcations of Environment and Harvest. 
  Rarity is always worked into the base price of 
  an herb—the rarer the herb, the higher the base 
  price. However, if a GM has set up brushﬁres and 
  forest ﬁres where the PCs are traveling, that rarity may 
  change. As a rule of thumb, seasonal shortfalls of herbs 
  due to weather conditions add 50% to the base cost, 
  while other causes for shortfalls (such as a druids’ circle 
  or cabal of wizards hoarding the herbs) affect the price 
  in greater amounts. This effect on price is purely a GM’s 
  caveat and administered both fairly and sparingly, so 
  don’t price gouge your PCs without a very good game 
  reason (such as NPCs trying to keep certain things from 
  PCs, drive them to crime or desperation in their need for 
  money, etc.).
  Environment is extremely difﬁcult to factor into 
  cost, and requires knowledge of the game world around 
  the purchaser. Thus, distance is more a factor in how 
  expensive an item or herb becomes. The farther you are 
  from where the herb is grown and harvested, the 
  more expensive it will be. 
  If a GM chooses, herbalists and 
  alchemists can charge more for their 
  products if they use “the best kind of 
  mint, grown on Mount Kharal in far-
  off Jhunvaol.” While we recommend 
  GMs stick to the basic herbs in the 
  Herbal Catalog, making variant 
  herbs of increased rarity is certainly 
  within their purview—just make 
  sure the added cost and rarity allow 
  for some greater effects with their 
  use. Lastly, if the herb’s potency 
  or rarity proves to be a scam to 
  bilk adventurers of their money, 
  it’s an adventure hook that doesn’t 
  provide long life expectancies for the 
  bilking NPC.
  Harvest time is one of the few factors that might 
  actually reduce the base cost of an herb, but only if 
  you’re looking for said herb in times of plenty, such as 
  right after harvest. 
  The tables below factors in Environment/Distance 
  and Harvest Time and provides percentage multipliers 
  by which the GM can calculate the current price of said 
  commodity when the PCs are looking for it. 
  Start with the base cost of the item, then add in the 
  adjustments—this way, the ﬁnal prices will be more 
  realistic than using a ﬂat standard. 
  Chapter 5
  
  47
  Environment/Distance
  0-10 miles 
  No effect in cost
  11-30 miles 
  +10% to cost
  31-75 miles 
  +20% to cost
  76-200 miles 
  +25% to cost
  +200 miles 
  +25% to cost for 
   
  each additional 200 miles
  * If the GM wishes to add environmental factors as well, 
  each difference in elevation could add another 10% to 
  the price of an herb. Thus, buying a mountain-grown 
  herb from the apothecary in a lowland seacoast town 
  is a difference of two elevations (mountains to hills to 
  lowlands) and should add 20-25% to the price. 
  Harvest Times
  Divide the year into its four seasons of Spring, Summer, 
  Autumn, and Winter. Check the herb’s listing for 
  its Harvest time. Then consider the season of the 
  purchase time (current time for the PCs).
  For each season the purchase time is past the 
  harvest of said ingredient, add a cumulative 20% 
  to the cost. Thus, buying an herb that’s harvested 
  in spring with a base price of 3gp is going to cost 
  3 gold and 3 silvers in summer, 3 gold, 6 silvers, 
  and 3 coppers in autumn, and 3 gold, 9 silvers, 
  and 4 coppers in winter. 
  Take the base price of an herb and 
  multiply the cost against the tabulated 
  factors below for its ﬁnal adjusted 
  price. 
  Table 6: Herbal Costs Adjustment Table
  Distances
  No set Harvest or Harvest Season
  Harvest Season +1
  Harvest Season +2
  Harvest Season +3
  0-10 miles
  Base Cost
  1.2
  1.4
  1.6
  11-30 miles
  1.1
  1.3
  1.5
  1.7
  31-75 miles
  1.2
  1.4
  1.6
  1.8
  76-200 miles
  1.25
  1.45
  1.65
  1.85
  201-400 miles
  1.5
  1.7
  1.9
  2.1
  401-600 miles
  1.75
  1.95
  2.15
  2.35
  601-800 miles
  2
  2.2
  2.4
  2.6
  801-1000 miles
  2.25
  2.45
  2.65
  2.8
  Beyond 1000 miles (add per 500 miles) 
  +0.5
  Elevation difference over 1000 feet (add per 1000 feet diff. between market and source) 
  + 0.1
  Don’t let the decimals scare you—they’re simple to deal with in d20 terms. The ﬁrst digit tends to be gold pieces, the second (ﬁrst after the decimal) 
  is silver, and the third is copper. 
  Herbal Catalog
  
  48
  Chapter 6: Knowledge & Development
  & Teas halve them). To create such substances, the creator 
  must expend 2% (1/50) of the item’s base price in XP and 
  use up raw materials costing 30% of the base price. (Note 
  that the savings alchemy or herbalism provide to other 
  Item Creation feats are inherent in this feat.)
  Special: Once the player gains 3 spellcasting levels 
  of any type (or if he or she has them when this feat is 
  acquired), this feat also acts as Brew Potion in terms of XP 
  and ﬁnancial costs. All other strictures and rules for Brew 
  Potion must be obeyed. 
  Craft Chymicals [Item Creation]
  You can create chymicals, and miscellaneous special 
  substances such as tanglefoot bags, tindertwigs, and 
  various acids.
  Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 5 ranks, Skill Focus 
  [Craft (Alchemy)] 
  Beneﬁt: Provided all item prerequisites are met, 
  the alchemist can create any and all acids, chymicals, 
  compounds, and miscellaneous alchemical substances not 
  created by other Item Creation feats. Crafting, brewing, 
  or mixing chymicals takes 1 day minimum, and any 
  substances with creation DCs higher than 30 take 2 days. 
  The base price of chymicals and acids equals their caster 
  level x 25 gp. To create such substances, the creator must 
  expend 2% (1/50) of the item’s base price in XP (round up) 
  and use up raw materials costing 30% of the base price. 
  (Note that the savings alchemy or herbalism provide other 
  Item Creation feats are inherent in this feat.)
  Note: The many random alchemical products listed 
  in the core books (under Special and Superior Items) are 
  primarily chymical in nature, and can be created by this 
  feat (or by the Craft (Alchemy) skill alone). 
  Craft Herbal Restoratives [Item Creation]
  You can create herbal medicines to aid healers and their 
  patients.
  Prerequisites: Profession (Herbalist) 8 ranks or 
  Profession (Apothecary) 6 ranks
  Beneﬁt: You can create any nonmagical healing 
  draughts, powders, poultices, or other medicines whose 
  prerequisites are met. Restorative base prices equal their 
  caster level x 12gp. To create such substances, the creator 
  must expend 2% (1/50) of the item’s base price in XP and 
  use up raw materials costing 30% of the base price. (Note 
  that the savings alchemy or herbalism provide other Item 
  Creation feats are inherent in this feat.)
  Note: A great many herbal restoratives are crushed 
  down into powders and dust, though they are not 
  classiﬁed under Powders & Dusts due to their nonmagical 
  status. Regardless of their ultimate form, the items created 
  by users of this feat are strictly medicines and restoratives, 
  not magical or alchemical creations in dust form.
  Craft Powders & Dusts [Item Creation]
  You can create near-magical powders and dusts such as 
  silentscent and locksbane.
  Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 7 ranks or Profession 
  (Herbalist) 6 ranks, Skill Focus [for respective skill]
  T
  his chapter describes the many overlapping 
  skills and feats learned by students of alchemy 
  and herbalism. Note that these feats are 
  shared by either profession or craft, though 
  they are also learned as special skills by the 
  three prestige classes in Chapters 2 and 4.
  This chapter also deals with the way many different 
  ﬁelds and ways of life affect (or are affected by) alchemy 
  and herbalism. We’ll discuss how those two crafts ﬁt 
  within world and social structures, and how the player-
  character classes both change and are changed by the 
  study of herbalism and alchemy. The major work for this 
  chapter revolves around the question of whether knowing 
  certain skills helps your work in other related ﬁelds (If I 
  know how to brew a potion, what do I know about other 
  alchemical works?).
  Feats
  M
  any of these feats are linked to special abilities 
  alchemists and herbalists gain in their prestige 
  classes (as discussed in Chapters 2 and 4). They 
  can, however, be earned and used by anyone meeting the 
  feats’ prerequisites. They also supplement and improve 
  upon the many assumed basic skills provided by the skills 
  Craft (Alchemy) and Profession (Herbalist).
  These nonmagical Item Creation feats, unlike their 
  magical equivalents in the PHB, do not assume an 
  automatic success on the creation of said items (unless the 
  creator “takes 20” to an extreme and doubles the creation 
  time). These feats provide a bonus against the creation DC 
  of their related materials. This is because most of the items 
  among the alchemists’ or herbalists’ repertoires can be 
  made by characters with only the basic skills, albeit with 
  more difﬁculty. Look to the descriptions of the items (as 
  well as the distinctions within the Alchana and Erlcana 
  feats) for whether they can be produced without speciﬁc 
  feats.
  Bodily Awareness [General]
  Your training and knowledge provide you with focus and 
  the ability to discern how herbal, alchemical, and magical 
  substances best interact with the bodies of animals and 
  sentients.
  Prerequisites: 
  Craft 
  (Alchemy) 
  or 
  Profession 
  (Herbalist) 5 ranks
  The character adds +2 to all Heal or Profession 
  (Apothecary) checks. This bonus stacks with any synergy 
  bonuses in use with the Heal skill. 
  Brew Ingestibles [Item Creation]
  You can create alchemical or herbal drinks and rations 
  that produce special effects, though not magical in origin. 
  Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 9 ranks or Profession 
  (Herbalist) 7 ranks
  Beneﬁt: You can craft any ingestible whose prerequisites 
  you meet. An ingestible is any liquid, paste or solid that is 
  consumed to activate its potential. Brewing an ingestible 
  substance takes a number of hours equal to its creation 
  DC. Each item’s base price is its caster level + DC x 50 gp 
  (though Tinctures double those base prices, while Tisanes 
  Chapter 6
  
  49
  Beneﬁt: You can create alchemical or herbal powders, 
  provided you meet the prerequisites. Crafting and purifying 
  powders and dusts takes 12 hours plus the creation DC of 
  the item in hours. Each dust’s base price equals its caster 
  level + DC x 75 gp. To create such substances, the creator 
  must expend 2% (1/50) of the item’s base price in XP and 
  use up raw materials costing 30% of the base price. (Note 
  that the savings alchemy or herbalism provide other Item 
  Creation feats are inherent in this feat.)
  Special: Once the player gains 3 spellcasting levels 
  of any type (or if he or she has them when this feat is 
  acquired), this feat also acts as Craft Wondrous Item in 
  terms of XP and ﬁnancial costs—but only for the creation 
  of magical dusts and powders. All other strictures and 
  rules for Create Wondrous Item must be obeyed. 
  Craft Toxins [Item Creation]
  You can create poisonous substances of any form or level 
  of virulence, from discomforting to fatal.
  Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 8 ranks or Profession 
  (Herbalist) 6 ranks, Great Fortitude feat
  Beneﬁt: You can create any and all types of poisons, 
  provided you meet the prerequisites. Making poisons and 
  toxins takes a number of hours equal to the creation DC 
  of the toxin. Each toxin has a base price equal to its caster 
  level + DC x 120 gp. To create such substances, the creator 
  must expend 2% (1/50) of the item’s base price in XP and 
  use up raw materials costing 30% of the base price. (Note 
  that the savings alchemy or herbalism provide other Item 
  Creation feats are inherent in this feat.)
  Special: This feat deals with alchemical or herbal 
  poisons and toxins. If the character also has at least 5 ranks 
  in Knowledge (Nature) or Survival, he or she can use this 
  feat to process and administer animal-based venoms as 
  well.
  Craft Unguents [Item Creation]
  You create lotions and other external salves that produce 
  a wide variety of results, and while many are nonmagical 
  you can also create the alchemist’s or herbalist’s beginning 
  magical items. 
  Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 9 ranks or Profession 
  (Herbalist) 7 ranks, Craft Powders & Dusts feat
  Beneﬁt: You can create any and all types of unguents, 
  provided you meet the prerequisites. Making unguents 
  takes a number of hours equal to half its creation DC, but 
  never less than 9 hours. Each unguent has a base price 
  equal to its caster level + DC x 150 gp. To create such 
  substances, the creator must expend 2% (1/50) of the 
  item’s base price in XP and use up raw materials costing 
  30% of the base price. (Note that the savings alchemy or 
  herbalism provide other Item Creation feats are inherent 
  in this feat.)
  Special: Once the player gains 3 spellcasting levels 
  of any type (or if he or she has them when this feat is 
  acquired), this feat also acts as Craft Wondrous Item in 
  terms of XP and ﬁnancial costs—but only for the creation 
  of magical unguents such as  stone salve. All other strictures 
  and rules for Create Wondrous Item must be obeyed. 
  Create Alchana [Item Creation]
  You can create alchemical and magical items beyond those 
  possible by magic or alchemy alone.
  Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 9 ranks, Endurance, 
  Craft Chymicals, Craft Wondrous Item feats
  Beneﬁt: You can create miscellaneous creations of 
  alchemy unavailable to magic (or Craft Wondrous Item) 
  or alchemy alone. Effectively, this feat allows you to create 
  any new and wondrous alchemagical items, provided 
  they are not arms and armor, wands, staves, rods, potions, 
  or rings. The proof that an item is an alchana rather than 
  just a miscellaneous magical item is this—its effects or 
  usefulness are not canceled by dispel magic spells. 
  The base price to create alchana takes the item’s caster 
  level, adds its creation DC, and then multiplies the total 
  by 400 gp (CL + DC x 400). To create such substances, the 
  creator must expend 4% (1/25) of the item’s base price in 
  XP and use up raw materials costing 30% of the base price. 
  (Note that the savings alchemy or herbalism provide other 
  Item Creation feats are inherent in this feat.)
  Create Erlcana [Item Creation]
  You’ve reached the ultimate end of the herbalist’s 
  craft—the ability to imbue plants with life, mobility, and 
  intelligence, and to bridge the gap between plants and 
  animals.
  Prerequisites: 
  Profession 
  (Herbalist) 
  16 
  ranks, 
  Knowledge (Nature) 5 ranks, Grow Swathe feat
  Beneﬁts: You can create greater erlcana, plants and 
  plant-derived substances with their own sentience and 
  magics. The base price to create greater erlcana takes 
  the item’s caster level, adds its creation DC, and then 
  multiplies the total by 1,000 gp (CL + DC x 1000). To create 
  such substances, the creator must expend 4% (1/25) of the 
  item’s base price in XP and use up raw materials costing 
  30% of the base price. (Note that the savings alchemy or 
  herbalism provide other Item Creation feats are inherent 
  in this feat.)
  Create Greater Alchana [Item Creation]
  You’ve achieved the highest goal in alchemy—the ability 
  to create the Five Stones of Alchemy!
  Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 16 ranks, Perfect 
  Materials, Create Alchana feats
  Beneﬁt: You have reached the pinnacle of alchemical 
  achievement and can create any one of the Five Stones, 
  provided you meet its prerequisites. The base price to 
  create greater alchana takes the Stone’s caster level, adds 
  its creation DC, and then multiplies the total by 2500 gp 
  (CL + DC x 2500). To create a Stone, the creator must 
  expend 10% (1/10) of the item’s base price in XP and use 
  up raw materials costing 50% of the base price (the sacriﬁce 
  of a Green Tablet is part of this raw materials cost). The 
  savings alchemy or herbalism provide other Item Creation 
  feats do not apply to this feat.
  Crisis Creation [Item Creation]
  Prerequisites: Concentration 5 ranks, Skill Focus [Craft 
  (Alchemy) or Profession (Herbalist)], and at least one Item 
  Creation Feat
  Beneﬁt: You have the ability to create items in an 
  emergency. This can be used in either of two ways:
  • 
  You can create items (within the scope of 
  prerequisite feats, skills, knowledge, and 
  materials) in half the normal creation times.
  • 
  You can jury-rig an Item Creation feat 
  away from your laboratory, provided you 
  Knowledge
  
  50
  have the proper ingredients for said item 
  already in hand. This feat thus negates 
  circumstance penalties for not having the 
  proper equipment or tools available.
  This is usable with any Item Creation feat, but the costs 
  rise due to the rushed nature. Raw materials costs are the 
  same, but the XP cost for said item doubles due to the lack 
  of preparation and the forced nature of the emergency 
  creation.
  Special: This feat can be stacked, though the only 
  beneﬁt gained by taking this feat twice is that item creation 
  time can be dropped to a third its normal time (at three 
  times the normal XP cost).
  Diagnosis [General]
  Your training in the herbal healing arts grants you insight 
  into deducing ailments or afﬂictions. Your diagnosis can 
  even detect poisons. 
  Prerequisites: Heal 5 ranks, Profession (Apothecary) 
  5 ranks
  Beneﬁt: The character gains a +3 circumstance bonus 
  in the use of the Heal skill. This bonus stacks with synergy 
  bonuses and the bonus from Bodily Awareness.
  Special: If successful in the use of the Heal skill, the 
  character’s proper diagnosis allows the victim to gain 1 hit 
  point back in 1d8 hours (instead of 24). 
  Flourish Spell [Metamagic]
  Your understanding of plants and herbs allows you to 
  redirect spell energies into the healing and restoration of 
  any plant.
  Prerequisites: Profession (Herbalist) 12 ranks, ability 
  to cast 3rd level spells
  Beneﬁt: Just as clerics and paladins can redirect spell 
  slots into healing spells, you can change the effects of 
  any Abjuration, Conjuration, Enchantment, Evocation, 
  or Transmutation spells and force the energy into a plant 
  to speed it through seasonal growth and changes. Any 
  original effects of the spell are negated in favor of the 
  energy’s use in reviving and affecting plant tissues.
  For each level of the original spell, the plant undergoes 
  the changes of one season. For example, in order for a 
  fruit-bearing tree to produce mature fruit in winter it 
  must magically undergo three seasons of change (winter 
  to spring to summer to autumn/harvest). 
  If the plant is damaged or dying, it can be partially 
  healed by sacriﬁcing one spell level to heal it rather than 
  force a season of growth upon it. If two spell levels are 
  used, the plant is completely healed and healthy according 
  to its current season. 
  Also, the plant’s size affects how the energies inﬂuence 
  it. For plants of size Small, add one to the spell level to 
  determine how many seasons of change can be forced 
  upon the plant. For plants of size Large, subtract one 
  from the spell level for determining effects. If a plant is 
  Table 7: Alchemical & Herbal Item Creation Feats Table
  Item Creation Feats
  Creation 
  Bonus vs. DC
  Materials or Item Class to be Created
  Alchemy
  By rank
  Most alchemical substances not restricted by feat or magic use 
  requirements
  Brew Ingestibles
  +3
  Any alchemical or herbal Ingestibles; Use as Brew Potion if feat 
  prerequisites are met.
  Brew Potion
  —
  Any magical Potions (or other if prerequisites are met)
  Craft Chymicals
  +3
  Any Chymicals and the many mundane or special compounds and 
  materials used by others in spellcasting or other avenues.
  Craft Herbal 
  Restorative
  +3
  Any nonmagical medicinals and healers’ curatives 
  Craft Powders & 
  Dust
  +3
  Any nonmagical dusts or powers;Use for any magical dusts if CWI 
  prerequisites are met.
  Craft Toxins
  +3
  Any nonmagical poisons and toxins of all varieties
  Craft Unguents
  +3
  Any nonmagical unguents, salves, balms, etc.Use for magical unguents if 
  CWI prerequisites are met.
  Craft Wondrous Item
  —
  Any miscellaneous magical item;   This does not include alchemical or 
  herbal items unless stated in the item’s write-up.
  Create Alchana
  —
  Items created by advanced knowledge of alchemy AND magic; necessary 
  step to Alchemical Stones.
  Create Erlcana
  —
  Greater herbal swathes, erlmantles, erlixirs
  Create Greater 
  Alchana
  —
  The Five Alchemical Stones
  Forge Ring
  —
  Any magical rings
  Grow Swathe
  —
  Any swathes except those listed as Greater Erlcana
  Perfect Materials
  —
  Greater Temperant Baths (material strengthening)
  Profession: 
  Apothecary
  By rank
  Any medicinal herbs or herbal concoctions for use with the Heal skill.
  Profession: Herbalist
  By rank
  Any herbal concoctions not limited by magic or other feat prerequisites.
  Chapter 6
  
  51
  size Huge, subtract two spell levels, and three levels are 
  subtracted for any plant larger than Huge. (Example: it 
  takes the sacriﬁce of a 5th level spell to completely heal a 
  size Colossal treant or oak tree of dry rot.)
  This feat is used in emergencies to produce food for 
  starving adventurers or to ﬁnd the necessary ingredients 
  for an herbal creation despite the current season. It is also 
  used by high-ranking herbalists and spellcasters to aid the 
  forests by healing sick trees, ensuring that saplings survive 
  their ﬁrst winter by speeding up their growth, etc. 
  Grow Swathe [Item Creation]
  You can create swathes by placing magics within living 
  plants or grafting them onto magical items. 
  Prerequisites: Profession (Herbalist) 12 ranks, Craft 
  Powders & Dust feat, ability to cast 3rd level spells
  Beneﬁt: You can add a living swathe of plants onto 
  enchanted clothing or items or places and embed magics 
  within the swathe to enhance and alter the existing magic 
  or to add in new, nature-related magics or druid spells. 
  The swathes act like bracers, cloaks, or other garments that 
  hold spells and grant supernatural abilities while being 
  worn.
  There are two different levels of costs involved with 
  this feat, depending on what the herbalist does:
  • 
  Swathe Graft: This treatment augments and 
  adapts the magics already inherent in an item—
  usually a wand or a rod, though staves and 
  boots are also common—so very little magic is 
  necessary for the graft. The base price of a swathe 
  graft is its caster level plus its DC, multiplied 
  by 5 gp. To graft a swathe to an item, you must 
  spend 1/50 (2%) of the new base price (item 
  base price PLUS graft base price) in XP and use 
  up raw materials costing one-quarter (25%) that 
  new base price.
  • 
  Swathe Creation: This creates an independent 
  living swathe not tied to a particular magical 
  item, though these can be anchored to magical 
  and nonmagical materials of leather or stronger 
  substance. The base price of a living swathe takes 
  the item’s caster level, adds its creation DC, and 
  then multiplies the total by 200 gp. To create such 
  substances, the creator must expend 4% (1/25) 
  of the item’s base price in XP and use up raw 
  materials costing 30% of the base price. (Note that 
  the savings alchemy or herbalism provide other 
  Item Creation feats are inherent in this feat.)
  Special: Swathes cannot be created by the Craft 
  Wondrous Item feat unless the user meets all the 
  prerequisites for this feat (herbal/plant knowledge). 
  Perfect Materials [Item Creation]
  You know the alchemical methods to reﬁne materials into 
  their strongest or purest forms or strengthen them beyond 
  their normal hardness. 
  Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 12 ranks, Craft Alchana 
  feat, ability to cast 4th level spells 
  Beneﬁt: You have advanced your knowledge of 
  Alchana and can create Greater Temperant Baths or 
  Emerald Tablets. The base price to create these baths takes 
  the item’s caster level, adds its creation DC, and then 
  multiplies the total by 1500 gp. To create such substances, 
  the creator must expend 4% (1/25) of the item’s base price 
  in XP and use up raw materials costing 30% of the base 
  price. (Note that the savings alchemy or herbalism provide 
  other Item Creation feats are inherent in this feat.)
  Special: This feat can also be used to repair and restore 
  masterwork items, provided all the component pieces 
  Knowledge
  
  52
  of the item are together and can be reassembled before 
  placing the item in the temperant bath.
  Reciprocal Knowledge [General]
  Learning two related skills enhances your abilities to use 
  both skills more effectively.
  Prerequisites: 7 ranks in two related skills with existing 
  synergy bonuses
  Beneﬁt: This feat acts as an advanced synergy bonus of 
  +3 that stacks with any other synergy bonuses when using 
  one of the two linked skills. In general, this feat provides 
  two skills with enhanced synergy and a +2 bonus vs. skill 
  checks. Check the Player’s Handbook for synergy links 
  among skills, as well as the Skills Synergy table later in 
  this chapter. 
  Special: This feat stacks, but can only be linked with 
  two synergistic skills at a time. If a person has Profession 
  (Herbalist) and Survival linked via Reciprocal Knowledge, 
  she cannot use the additional +2 bonus with Knowledge 
  (Nature) or Profession (Apothecary) skill checks unless 
  she takes another Reciprocal Knowledge feat to link her 
  herbalism skills with them (as in Table 7).
  What if I know about…..?
  A
  s you’ll see in the next chapter, there are hundreds 
  of fantastic substances and items that can be 
  made or enhanced by the applications learned 
  with herbalism- and alchemy-related skills. However, a 
  rules problem occurs when people with a dozen ranks of 
  Craft (Alchemy) start to wonder if they can make dust of 
  disappearance or potions. In other words, who gets to know 
  the secrets on how to brew potions when, or are these 
  ﬁelds of study all mutually exclusive?
  What happens if someone knows Brew Potion and 
  Profession (Herbalist)? Or Survival? There are a number 
  of combinations that can aid alchemists and herbalists in 
  their chosen ﬁelds. Luckily, the core rules take this into 
  account and discuss the synergy bonuses of related skills. 
  Below is a table that clariﬁes and cross-references a 
  wide array of skills and shows when each helps a primary 
  skill with DC bonuses. 
  Related Feats & Skill Adjustments
  Item Creation Feats are the areas most commonly affected 
  by herbalists and alchemists’ other abilities. While having 
  additional knowledge and materials on hand does nothing 
  to mitigate the XP costs of crafting items, it does help with 
  the ﬁnancial costs.
  If the character can prepare the components and 
  materials himself, drop the cost of raw materials for item 
  creation by 20%. This can be applied to both herbalists 
  and alchemists, assuming the item being created has spell 
  component needs for empowering it. 
  Useful Cross-Skills & Feats
  In addition to the skills and feats discussed above, there 
  are numerous other mundane or extraordinary skills that 
  will help your characters. After all, if your alchemist has to 
  go haggle with a glazier every time he needs more beakers 
  for his laboratory, his own creations get more expensive.
  Alchemist Cross-Skills: 
  Craft (Brewer, Chandler, Glazier, Potter, Armorsmith, 
  Swordsmith); Profession (Blacksmith)
  Table 8: Skills Synergy with Alchemy & Herbalism
  Skill
  Five or more ranks in the skill (at left) provide 
  cumulative synergy bonuses (+2 to skill checks) in the 
  following skills:
  Alchemy
  Craft: Smith (any); Knowledge: Arcana (if dealing with 
  alchemy or item creation); Professions: Blacksmith or 
  Brewer
  Craft: Smith*
  Disable Device (locks and traps if locksmith or ﬁnesmith); 
  Open Lock (if locksmith or ﬁnesmith);
  Heal
  Profession: Apothecary or Herbalist;
  Knowledge: Arcana
  Craft: Alchemy; Use Magic Device
  Knowledge: Herbalism
  Profession: Apothecary; Professions: Brewer or Herbalist; 
  Survival
  Knowledge: Nature
  Profession: Apothecary or Herbalist; Survival
  Profession: Apothecary
  Heal; Profession: Herbalist
  Profession: Blacksmith
  Craft: Alchemy, Smith* (any); Disable Device (any metal 
  device)
  Profession: Brewer
  Craft: Alchemy; Profession: Herbalist
  Profession: Herbalist
  Craft: Alchemy; Heal; Knowledge: Nature; Profession: 
  Apothecary or Brewer
  Survival
  Knowledge: Nature; Profession: Herbalist
  *Smith as a craft applies individually to each potential deﬁnition: Swordsmith for weapons forging, Armorsmith for armor forging, Whitesmith 
  for metal jewelry work, Locksmith for creating and ﬁxing metal locks, and Finesmith for masterwork level tools and supplemental equipment for 
  skill use (i.e. alchemists’ tools, thieves’ tools, etc.).   Note: Blacksmith is a Profession rather than a craft, as it broadly embraces all metalwork in 
  general. The specialties and distinctions of the other Crafts can be done by a blacksmith, just not as well.
  Chapter 6
  
  53
  Herbalist Cross-Skills: 
  Craft (Beekeeper, Chandler, Finesmith, Glazier, Potter,), 
  Profession (Carpentry)
  Alchemist Cross-Feats: 
  Skill Focus [Craft (Alchemy)]; Any Item Creation Feats
  Herbalist Cross-Feats: 
  Skill Focus [Profession (Herbalist)]; Any Item Creation 
  Feats
  Who Makes What?
  T
  hroughout this book, we’ve discussed the creation 
  and development of all sorts of substances and 
  processes and materials, but we’ve not actually 
  laid down more than the ground work of exactly who can 
  create what items. If we don’t know that, the GM won’t 
  know if Satrian’s Salve is available in Rhuta the Herbalist’s 
  shop, down the street at Jheam the Alchemist’s tower, or 
  only at the local wizards’ guild outlet.
  In general, herbalists and alchemists provide the 
  necessary nonmagical substances found throughout 
  most d20 worlds, be they inks, dyes, or poisons. Most 
  wondrous and magical items are made by spellcasters, 
  including potions. However, herbalists and alchemists 
  play their supporting roles in these processes, and they 
  may also be able to make some of the items themselves, 
  depending on their supplementary skills and their status 
  in other classes. They also tend to be important aides in the 
  creation of more powerful items, as wizards and priests 
  rarely have the time or desire to collect and prepare their 
  own materials for such rituals. 
  In any case, we can’t simply go through the list of 
  items and say who makes what of each item—this would 
  exclude any items you might ﬁnd in other d20 products, 
  not to mention any you might create for your own game 
  world. The best way to approach this is to focus on the 
  broad categories of all the substances and materials both 
  herbalists and alchemists (not to mention wizards with 
  Brew Potion) can create and sell.
  All of the items mentioned in this chapter (and 
  catalogued in the next) are broken down into major 
  categories and minor sub-categories within them. Each 
  category and its components will be detailed, both in 
  general and speciﬁcally with the items within its class. 
  Within the details of each category will be the particulars 
  on how these categories ﬁt within the d20 core standards 
  of Magic or Wondrous Items or other titles. 
  Core d20 Items
  Of course, all of the items found in the DMG should be 
  addressed within the scope of herbalists and alchemists, 
  to determine whether any information can be added 
  or changed to those core deﬁnitions. On a basic level of 
  understanding, if the item requires spell use beyond 2nd 
  level, chances are pretty high that it needs to be created by 
  a spellcaster, not just an expert alchemist or herbalist.
  The primary beneﬁt one gains by adding alchemy or 
  herbalism knowledge to a character is saving money on 
  spellcasting components and equipment. It also allows 
  Table  9: Item Creation Feats & Types Table
  Item Type/Classiﬁcation
  Feats/Skills Involved in Creation—Player’s Handbook & DMG
  Special Items
  Craft: Alchemy or Profession: Herbalist (+R) if applicable
  Arms & Armor
  Craft Magic Arms and Armor (E)
  Potions
  Brew Potion (E); Brew Ingestibles (O)
  Rings
  Forge Ring (E)
  Rods
  Craft Rod (E)
  Staves
  Craft Staff (E)
  Wands
  Craft Wand (E)
  Wondrous Items
  Craft Wondrous Item (E); Create Alchana (O)
  New Types—Alchemy & Herbalists
  Alchana
  Craft: Alchemy (+R); Create Alchana (E)
  Alchana, Greater
  Craft: Alchemy (+R); Create Greater Alchana (E)
  Chymicals
  Craft: Alchemy (+R); Craft Chymical (O)
  Erlcana
  Profession: Herbalist (+R); Create Erlcana (E)
  Ingestibles
  Craft: Alchemy or Profession: Herbalist (+R); Brew Ingestibles (O)
  Powders / Dusts
  Craft: Alchemy or Profession: Herbalist (+R);Craft Powders & Dust (O)
  Unguents
  Craft: Alchemy or Profession: Herbalist (+R);Craft Unguents (O)
  Toxins
  Craft: Alchemy or Profession: Herbalist (+R); Craft Toxins (O)
  Table 9 is the short form to identify what’s absolutely necessary for the creation of certain types of alchemical or herbal items; 
  individual items are detailed in Chapter 7. 
  E: Essential/Prerequisite for Creation. If you don’t have this feat or skill, the item noted is impossible to make, even if the maker 
  knows the Brew Potion or Create Wondrous Item Feats, due to highly speciﬁc requirements for its making. This table assumes that 
  either Craft: Alchemy or Profession: Herbalist is always Essential and they are not marked as such to avoid redundancy. 
  O: Option. This feat can be used to create the item instead of relying on the core generic Item Creation feats of Brew Potion or Create 
  Wondrous Item. The optional and highly speciﬁc item creation feat adds a +3 bonus vs. the item’s creation DC. 
  +R: Rank of skill. Add the rank number to the dice roll vs. the DC check.
  Knowledge
  
  54
  a spellcaster to become less reliant on the aid of others 
  while researching or creating an item. That isn’t to say that 
  alchemy and herbalism can’t provide you with a number 
  of wonderful items. They can and do (as is notable in the 
  massive Catalog in the next chapter). It’s just that those 
  items aren’t wholly magical, or exceedingly powerful.
  Rather than repeat all the items from the DMG, let’s 
  look at the major classiﬁcations of mundane and magical 
  items from the core books and discuss them against 
  the backgrounds of alchemy and herbalism. We’ll note 
  whether herbalists or alchemists can make said items with 
  or without spellcasting support and when they might gain 
  such knowledge. 
  Apply these guidelines in general until you and your 
  players have worked out details for each speciﬁc character 
  and/or item. The guidelines below assume that the 
  alchemist or herbalist has little to no ability to cast spells. 
  Only one thing is absolutely certain—as most alchemists 
  and herbalists become spellcasters after a certain point 
  in their education, the only limitations to what an 
  advanced alchemist or herbalist might create are the 
  availability of materials and their own knowledge.
  Acids
  Generic acids, like those in the DMG, can be 
  made as noted in the Player’s Handbook. Aside 
  from acids with obvious magical effects, all 
  acids in this book and in other d20 guides 
  should be possible to make by an alchemist 
  with the Craft Chymicals feat. Herbalists 
  never create acids, and only deal with 
  them if they are produced by plant life 
  (collected and saved like any herb or 
  herbal product).
  Armor & Weapons
  Alchemists and herbalists cannot make 
  magical armor or weapons. However, 
  alchemists with Create Alchana or 
  Perfect Materials do know methods for 
  tempering, alloying, and enhancing 
  metals up to masterwork quality and 
  purity (if not workmanship).
  Poisons
  Alchemists and herbalists can make a wide 
  variety of poisons with the noted rank levels, 
  though obviously they cannot reproduce 
  animal ichors or magical poisons. The basic 
  poisons listed in the core d20 manuals can 
  be created with the normal uses of alchemy 
  or herbalism skills. Poisons listed among 
  other d20 manuals (unless noted as animal 
  or magical products) can be produced by 
  characters using the Craft Toxins feat.
  Potions
  While alchemists and herbalists can create ingestible 
  substances with some abilities, any potions holding arcane 
  or divine magic can only be made with the Brew Potion 
  feat (or with the Brew Ingestibles feat and the ability to 
  cast 2nd level spells). 
  Rods, Staves, Wands, & Miscellaneous 
  Magical Items
  Obviously, none of these are possible without some 
  spellcasting ability and the appropriate Item Creation 
  Feats. Only miscellaneous items might possibly be created 
  (as if by Craft Wondrous Item feats) if similar alchemical 
  or herbal Item Creation feats overlapped to allow such 
  creation.
  Special & Superior Items
  This subclass of items is the generic location in which 
  alchemical items appear in the core Player’s Handbook 
  and DMG. The items herein, while they can be classiﬁed 
  among other groups, are reduced in price and can be 
  produced by anyone using the Craft (Alchemy) skill. 
  In essence, these are the most commonly encountered 
  alchemical substances: Acid, Alchemist’s Fire, Antitoxin, 
  Poison, Smokestick, Sunrod, Tanglefoot Bag, 
  Thunderstone, and Tindertwig. 
  Note that herbalists can duplicate some of 
  these items using plant materials, though the 
  costs remain the same. Herbalists can offer these 
  standards for sale in their shops: Antitoxin, Poison, 
  Smokestick, and Tanglefoot Bag.
  The statistics, rules, and miscellaneous 
  information on these items and their usage 
  in the game are found in Chapter 7 of the 
  Player’s Handbook and in Chapter 3 of the 
  DMG. 
  New Alchemical or Herbal Items
  While they’ll all be revealed in the next 
  chapter, there is some overlap among 
  the d20 classiﬁcations for items and 
  those speciﬁc to an alchemists’ lab 
  or herbalist’s shop. Here’s the brief 
  overview of various item classiﬁcations 
  and how the core d20 groups mesh with 
  them.
  Alchana
  These are the high-end powerful items 
  to come from alchemists. Unlike most 
  other alchemical creations, these cannot 
  be created simply by application of the 
  Craft (Alchemy) skill. Also, they cannot 
  be created just by magic or the use of the 
  Create Wondrous Item feat. These are only 
  attained by careful study and the use of the 
  Create Alchana, Perfect Materials, or Create 
  Greater Alchana feats.
  Minor Alchana (from Create Alchana 
  feat) include solvents, temperant baths 
  (lesser), and various items like steelscrolls and 
  glass arrows. Major Alchana (from Perfect Materials feat) 
  include temperant baths (greater) and Emerald Tablets. 
  Ultimate Alchana (from Create Greater Alchana feat) 
  includes only the Five Alchemical Stones of Power.
  Chymicals & Compounds
  Chymicals are the most common creations of any 
  alchemist, regardless of school or experience. There are 
  a number of chymical subtypes that alchemists create, 
  Chapter 6
  
  55
  Knowledge
  
  56
  though some are within the Craft (Alchemy) skill’s reach 
  and others are not.
  Acids: While the generic acids mentioned in the DMG 
  or in random modules can be created by anyone with basic 
  alchemical knowledge (Craft (Alchemy) at any rank), 
  there are unique acids in this book that need the special 
  knowledge gained with the Craft Chymicals Feat.
  Aquas: Unique to alchemy, these ﬂuids are near-
  potions that are not magical and take on classical alchemical 
  Latin names while providing new effects. These cannot be 
  created by just the Craft (Alchemy) skill—they require 
  speciﬁc study of Craft Chymicals. 
  Bases: While barely listed in Chapter 7, these hidden 
  substances crafted by alchemists are the base ﬂuids or 
  solids that become magical potions or substances. 
  Inks: While common inks of any color can be produced 
  by many people with just the Craft (Alchemy), Profession 
  (Herbalist) or even Profession (Brewer) skills, there are 
  some inks with special properties that can only be made 
  with the Create Chymicals feat.
  Erlcana
  Grown and fashioned from the natural world, all erlcana 
  are plants, either living or dead, used for a variety of 
  purposes both with and without magic. In general, these 
  cannot be created by the use of the Craft Wondrous 
  Items feat, as they all require some understanding of and 
  experience with plant life. Unless restricted by the item 
  prerequisites, erlcana of all levels can be created with just 
  common herbal skills. 
  Erlixirs: These herbal concoctions are the equivalent 
  to the Five Stones of Alchemy—the ultimate goal of all 
  herbalist knowledge. They are inconceivable without the 
  Create Greater Erlcana feat. 
  Herbal Restoratives: While these lesser erlcana 
  could be Ingestibles by use or even Powders & Dusts by 
  form, their herbal creation and variable use make them 
  a separate concern from either classiﬁcation. Provided 
  a restorative does not restore more quickly than normal 
  healing, it can be crafted using Profession (Apothecary) or 
  Profession (Herbalist).
  Swathes: These living plants either supplement magical 
  items or carry their own magics. The lesser swathes cannot 
  be crafted without the Grow Swathe feat, and the greater 
  swathes (Swathelm, Cocoon Swathe, Erlmantles) only by 
  Create Greater Erlcana.
  Ingestibles
  This classiﬁcation covers a broad span of edible substances, 
  all of which get eaten, drank, or otherwise introduced to 
  a character internally in order to activate their special 
  properties. In general, any of these not speciﬁcally 
  restricted to creation by the Brew Ingestibles, Brew Potion, 
  or Craft Wondrous Items feats can be made by characters 
  with Profession ( Herbalist). If the unguent is medicinal 
  in nature, characters with Profession (Apothecary) can 
  create it as well.
  The various subtypes of Ingestibles are Elixirs, Philters, 
  Teas & Tisanes, Tinctures & Essences, and Tonics. Potion 
  is only used to denote a magically endowed ingestible 
  substance. 
  Powders & Dusts
  This classiﬁcation produces the powders and dusts 
  whose abilities are speciﬁcally linked to that form, while 
  other powdered items more speciﬁcally meet other 
  classiﬁcations (such as restoratives and medicines). As 
  these items are often highly speciﬁc in their function, they 
  require highly speciﬁc learning to make them. Thus, no 
  items classiﬁed as Powders & Dusts can be made without 
  the Craft Powders & Dusts feat.
  Toxins
  Toxins and poisons are among the most commonly used 
  substances throughout all d20 worlds, but who is capable 
  of making (let alone using) them? Anyone knowing Craft 
  (Alchemy) or Profession (Apothecary or Herbalist) skills 
  can craft the basic poisons noted in core manuals, provided 
  the poisons are not animal ichors or venoms. In other 
  words, they can make the following poisons: bloodroot, 
  blue whinnis, deathblade, malyss root paste, nitharit, 
  sassone leaf residue, terinav root, black lotus extract, id 
  moss, striped toadstool, arsenic, burnt othur fumes, or 
  insanity mist. Animal-based poisons can be collected and 
  reﬁned or crafted by those with Knowledge (Nature). Any 
  other toxins and poisons need the Craft Toxins feat for 
  their creation. 
  Unguents
  This classification covers a wide variety of topical substances, all of which 
  get smeared onto skin or onto objects to elicit their effects. In general, any 
  of these not specifically restricted to creation by the Craft Unguents or 
  Craft Wondrous Items feats can be made by characters with Profession 
  (Herbalist). If the unguent is medicinal in nature, characters with 
  Profession (Apothecary) can create it as well.
  The various subtypes of unguents are Balms, Liniments 
  and Ointments, Oils, Pastes, Perfumes, and Salves. 
  Chapter 6
  
  57
  Chapter 7: Catalog Herbala y Alchemica
  • 
  Sealing Waxes
  • 
  Teas 
  Alchemical and Herbal Items as 
  Treasure
  I
  ntroducing many of these new items into your 
  campaign is simply a matter of adding them into 
  the potential treasures found during adventures or 
  just placing some of them in role-playing sessions where 
  the PCs meet alchemists or herbalists. 
  The short way to add these items to treasure tables is 
  to replace rolled treasures from Table 7-7 (Chapter 7 in the 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide) thusly:
  • 
  Mundane items can be replaced by Special or 
  Minor Alchemical/Herbal Items
  • 
  Minor Magical items can be replaced by Medium 
  Alchemical/Herbal Items.
  • 
  Medium Magical items can be replaced by Major 
  Alchemical/Herbal Items.
  • 
  Major Magical items can be replaced by twice as 
  many Major Alchemical/Herbal items.
  The second option is to abandon the exclusive use of 
  Table 7-7 to determine “mundane” items and replace it 
  with Table 12 and 13. Once the treasure types and levels 
  are determined, go to the individual tables to randomly 
  determine the ﬁnal item or items.
  Catalog Template
  T
  he core categories of materials produced by 
  herbalists and alchemists and their ilk are: Alchana, 
  Chymicals (& Compounds), Erlcana, Ingestibles (& 
  Potions), Powders (& Dusts), and Unguents. Remember, 
  just like the fabled Philosopher’s Stone and Elixir of Life, 
  each category may have some ultimate quest items that 
  people spend lifetimes trying to create or ﬁnd—which 
  might explain the prices and notes below. 
  Just like the Herbal Catalog in Chapter 5, there’s 
  a standard format for all these items or processes or 
  substances, and the entries will all have information 
  slightly more detailed than that of the Core d20 manuals, 
  the additions being Difﬁculty Checks for creation and 
  different or more stringent prerequisites. 
  Please note that many of the creations within the 
  Catalog are not capable of being made by the Create 
  Wondrous Item feat alone, despite the broad 
  interpretation of the rules from the core books. All 
  of them require a DC check against either the Craft 
  (Alchemy) or Profession (Herbalist) skills, and most 
  require more than just magical knowledge. They are 
  obviously intended to require the new Craft feats 
  in Chapter 6. As noted under the particular items, 
  those which need Create Erlcana and Create Greater 
  Alchana feats cannot be made with the individual 
  skills alone. Only the most learned of alchemists 
  know the secrets of the Five Stones and only the 
  most skilled herbalists know the Greater Erlcana.
  N
  ow, this chapter’s the part you’ve all been 
  waiting for—here’s all the stuff that’ll 
  be unleashed on your game worlds by 
  budding alchemists, herbalists, and the 
  like! First, we’ll discuss the most common 
  items—mundane items found on shelves or in use, rather 
  than within the Catalog—and then we’ll take a look at the 
  catalog’s information and organization, and the frequency 
  of alchemical treasures and herbal rewards. Next, we’ll 
  detail the broad types of items. Finally, we’ll examine 
  some magical items tied to herbalists and alchemists but 
  not listed in the catalog due to their magical origins. 
  Mundanities
  U
  nlisted among the Catalog are the mundane items 
  that herbalists and alchemists create for their 
  worlds. After all, since adventurers are at best 
  1/10 of 1% of the population, professionals can’t rely on 
  adventuring-based items to support themselves. Thus, 
  many substances are more commonly (and more easily) 
  made by alchemists and herbalists every day in every d20 
  campaign world. Most of the items noted below already 
  have prices and details within the core d20 books, and 
  prices for any unlisted items can be extrapolated from 
  those already in place. 
  Please note that there is some overlap between these 
  mundane creations and those from other Professions such 
  as chandlers (candle-makers), brewers (beer and wine 
  makers), and tailors & weavers (dye makers). Skills that are 
  the mainstays of these Crafts and Professions are taught 
  in early stages of herbalism and alchemy, both to provide 
  an occupation for any failed students and to create easier 
  stepping stones from the mundane world to the mystical. 
  If you and your PCs are dealing with an alchemist of any 
  type, selling these items is beneath him, though he’ll have 
  apprentices and assistants tending to them (and the shop) 
  and he might make a few things strictly for personal use: 
  • 
  Adhesives 
  • 
  Alcoholic Beverages (from beer to distilled 
  spirits)
  • 
  Candles
  • 
  Dyes
  • 
  Inks
  • 
  Oils & Brazier Fuels
  • 
  Paints
  • 
  Perfumes
  Table 10: Mundane Treasure Levels
  D%
  Alchemical or Herbal Item Levels
  00-25
  Mundane Items (reroll on Table 7-7 in the DMG) 
  26-60
  Special Items (roll on Table 11 under Special Items)
  61-80
  Minor A/H Item (roll on Table 11 under Minor A/
  H Item)
  81-95
  Medium A/H Item (roll on Table 11 under Medium 
  A/H Item)
  96-00
  Major A/H Item (roll on Table 11 under Major A/H 
  Item)
  Catalog Herbala
  
  58
  Item/Substance Name  
  [Classification; Special/Magical]
  The item’s name is obvious and all items are alphabetized 
  in the Catalog. The item’s type or classiﬁcation follows the 
  name in brackets, along with a note as to whether the item 
  is magical or not (for the question of negation by dispel 
  magic).
  • 
  The entry text is pretty straightforward, providing 
  all the effects and uses of the item.
  • 
  The 2nd paragraph of the entry provides any 
  sensory cues that this item deviates from the 
  standard description of its category (i.e. How 
  can your PCs tell the difference between dust of 
  disappearance and dust of sneezing and choking?). 
  If the item in question has a limited number of 
  uses, here’s where that’s discussed. 
  • 
  The 3rd paragraph of the entry, if any, discusses the 
  characters who would most likely use such items 
  (if not patently obvious) and for what purposes. 
  This is aimed at GMs looking for ways to work 
  these new substances into their campaigns.
  • 
  Caster Level: All these items—even though 
  many would only be considered Special Items 
  within the core books—have a Caster Level, 
  though it is only a general measure of the power 
  level of an item, not any note of inherent magic. 
  While hardly exact, the simplest benchmark a 
  reader can use is this: The Caster Level is also the 
  general number of ranks in Craft (Alchemy) or 
  Profession (Herbalist) needed to create said item. 
  Of course, all other prerequisites must be met as 
  well, but the Caster Level is an easy way to gauge 
  if a person with the appropriate skill might be 
  able to make something, regardless of whether 
  they have separate Item Creation feats or the 
  prestige classes. In fact, lesser-ranked alchemists 
  and herbalists can make the items, though that 
  should be far less common. 
  • 
  Prerequisites: These are the mandatory skills, 
  feats, abilities, spells, or other miscellaneous 
  requirements necessary to create this item. Bear 
  in mind that skills, feats or spells separated by 
  “or” allow for alternates to be used for the item 
  creation. 
  • 
  Difﬁculty Check (DC): As each of the items below 
  are created by either alchemists or herbalists, 
  there is a mandatory Difﬁculty Check vs. their 
  Craft (Alchemy) or Profession (Herbalist) skills. 
  This DC is not adjusted to account for the beneﬁts 
  and DC bonuses of other mandatory prerequisite 
  skills or feats, so the player must make the roll, 
  add in all potential bonuses, and exceed the DC 
  to create this item successfully.
  • 
  Market Price: This is the baseline price for the item 
  or service in question. As a general benchmark, 
  the Market Price of an item is rarely less than 
  twice the price of the Cost to Create, though 
  this may vary. Just like the herbs in Chapter 5, 
  these items all come with a standard price—for 
  simplicity’s sake—but are cost-adjustable for 
  realism in your ﬁctional world. 
  Caster Levels vs. Difficulty Checks
  Unlike other Special, Wondrous, or magical items, all 
  alchemical and herbal items have both a caster level and a 
  DC to create them. There is no direct or binding correlation 
  between these two factors. After all, the CL measures the 
  power of the item against other special items and magical 
  items, while the DC measures how difﬁcult it is to create. 
  While they often go hand in hand, some substances 
  are almost ridiculously easy to make (alchemists’ ﬁre) 
  but are highly effective or powerful under the right 
  circumstances. 
  However, there are some general benchmarks in 
  regard to CLs vs. DCs:
  • 
  The minimum DC for an alchemical or herbal 
  item is 10, and these tend to equate to 0-level 
  spells in relation to the power of other spells.
  • 
  The minimum CL is 1 and this also equates to 
  0-level spells, as well as being the weakest of 
  alchemical or herbal items. This rank is also 
  used for the most common of alchemical or 
  herbal items (i.e. those in the core books under 
  Special Items) as they are considered staples 
  and used as teaching examples for any who gain 
  even one rank in Craft (Alchemy) or Profession 
  (Herbalist). In other words, these are the items 
  for apprentices to practice on and then sell in the 
  shop as they learn greater works. 
  • 
  Assume that 15 is the standard minimum DC 
  for any item and 1 is the standard minimum CL. 
  Maximums rise to 45 DC and 20 CL. Subtract 
  one from the ranks listed in this chapter when 
  Table 11: Alchemical and Herbal Treasures
  Special Item
  Minor A/H
  Medium A/H
  Major A/H
  Item Category
  01-25
  01-15
  01-15
  Alchana, Lesser
  01-03(*)
  Alchana, Greater
  26-50
  16-30
  16-27
  04-30
  Chymicals & Compounds
  51-65
  31-45
  28-40
  Erlcana, Lesser
  41-42(*)
  31-35(*)
  Erlcana, Greater
  46-55
  43-50
  36-58
  Ingestibles
  56-70
  51-63
  59-75
  Powders & Dusts
  66-90
  71-85
  64-83
  Toxins & Poisons
  91-00
  86-00
  84-00
  76-00
  Unguents
  Results marked with an asterisk (*) indicate items too powerful to include in a campaign without careful thought and planning.
  Chapter 7
  
  59
  comparing these CLs to those of purely magical 
  items like rods, staves, and enchanted armors.
  • 
  While not always true, most items of CL 8 or 
  greater have a DC of 25 higher than that number 
  (i.e. CL 20 equals DC 45). 
  • 
  If a CL is signiﬁcantly lower than the item’s DC (a 
  difference of more than 30 points), this signiﬁes 
  that the item is extremely rare, more due to its 
  complexity and how few can teach its creation 
  than for its powers.
  Item Categories and Definitions
  Each category contains the general deﬁnition of its type 
  as well as the standard packaging and weight of these 
  items. Any variance from these deﬁnitions should be 
  mentioned in item entries. In general, assume the basic 
  packaging noted for each category has been agreed upon 
  as a standard by local guilds or schools (and a role-playing 
  trigger for a game could be unscrupulous merchants 
  repackaging alchemical substances to confuse or waste 
  many items—the PCs may decide to investigate after they 
  run afoul of a mislabeled potion). 
  Each of these categories has a corresponding table 
  at the end, which lists all the items that fall under its 
  classiﬁcations.
  Alchana
  Alchana are roughly the equivalent of Wondrous 
  Items—this is the catch-all for items that don’t seem to ﬁt 
  elsewhere, although it also includes the greatest creations 
  of alchemy. Thus, when in doubt, an alchemical item is an 
  alchanum. 
  Alchana Stones are the alchemical masterworks and 
  artifacts toward which all alchemists strive or at least 
  dream. Outside of alchemical circles, most people only 
  know of the Philosopher’s Stone, but there are ﬁve in all 
  and they have ties to the many divergent philosophies 
  of alchemy. Each is a roughly ﬁst-sized chalk-like stone, 
  though they can be carved, shaped or created in different 
  shapes or states, including liquid. The Five Stones all have 
  some lesser, more constant abilities, though their most 
  noted attributes and functions are:
  • 
  The Alchemist’s Stone: A red stone that creates 
  chymicals and other alchemical substances, and 
  attainable by any types of alchemists;
  • 
  The Healer’s Stone: The primary goal for white 
  alchemists, a white stone that emits the Elixir of 
  Life and other healing draughts;
  • 
  The Mystic’s Stone: A yellow stone that puriﬁes 
  any matter it touches, and is sought after by all 
  alchemists;
  • 
  The Philosopher’s Stone: The black stone to 
  which fables ascribe so many abilities, it actually 
  produces mage-metals, rather than transmuting 
  base metals into gold;
  • 
  The Sorcerer’s Stone: A purple stone that allows 
  easier manipulation of magic into alchemical 
  works.
  A few heretics mutter about a sixth and seventh stone, 
  hinting their origins lie in linking alchemy with planar 
  mechanics and necromancy, but most alchemical purists 
  dismiss such talk.
  Chymissiles are missile weapons combined with 
  alchemical substances; they fall under the alchana category 
  as they are more than the chymicals or substances used in 
  their construction. They come in a few varieties, with a 
  wide range of effects:
  • 
  Sling bullets can be made of small glass or ceramic 
  spheres holding liquid chymicals, though they 
  are more commonly granular tablets that explode 
  as a powder upon impact (and are much safer to 
  carry and use).
  • 
  Arrows come in two varieties: bottle-bolts with 
  glass arrowhead that smash on impact to unleash 
  liquid chymicals; and what many call Chyra’s 
  Fork. This special arrowhead looks like a normal 
  metal arrowhead with the center point missing 
  (and thus the fork analogy). The center is ﬁlled 
  instead with some solid substance molded into 
  place—the substance reacts to blood or tissue or 
  something else speciﬁc once the arrow hits its 
  mark. The beneﬁt of Chyra’s Fork arrowheads is 
  that they can be recovered and reused, with new 
  chymicals molded into them. 
  Emerald Tablets are major items of power among 
  alchemists, and they are a necessary step toward the 
  creation of the Alchana Stones—think of them as the 
  major magical items of wizards seeking to create artifacts. 
  Emerald Tablets act as powerful tools that help an 
  alchemist (or any holder who knows how to use them) 
  produce rare materials and vastly speed up his or her work 
  in the production of alchana and other creations. Emerald 
  Tablets resemble a dark green piece of coal that crumbles 
  a bit each time it is used (which is why the Tablets vary 
  in size).
  Mage-Metals are the by-product of a painstaking 
  alchemical process so costly and lengthy that few attempt 
  it, though the creation of metals perfect for use in magical 
  item construction is worth it just for the intellectual journey. 
  Most ﬁnd mage-gold and mage-silver after seeking the 
  Philosopher’s Stone, which creates them automatically, 
  though that is an equally long and expensive quest in and 
  of itself. As these metals are found so rarely, their forms 
  are unique each time, though identifying mage-metals 
  from other metals is easy—their exposed surfaces never 
  tarnish, they tend to be a slightly lighter hue than normal, 
  and the metal does not resonate when struck, making 
  mage-metals useless for magical chimes or ﬂutes. It is also 
  just different enough to prevent anyone from passing it off 
  as a normal precious metal (which few would do anyway, 
  since mage-metals are usually worth at least 25 times their 
  own weight in said metals).
  Siege-salts are crystalline compounds (with some salt 
  in the mixture) that inﬂict a variety of toxic effects when 
  exposed to other substances. The most common use is to 
  pour them down murder holes onto invaders, affecting 
   Herbal Restoratives
  W
  hile not speciﬁcally a subcategory of 
  ingestibles or any other creations, the feat 
  that allows apothecaries and herbalists to 
  create curatives needs to be addressed. 
  All Tonics, Teas/Tisanes, Ingestibles, 
  Powders, Unguents, or comparable concoctions that 
  provide a saving throw, aid hit point restoration, cancel 
  poisons or subdual damage, etc. should be considered as 
  Herbal Restoratives and the feat should be noted among 
  their prerequisites unless otherwise restricted. 
  Catalog Herbala
  
  60
  either their armor, weapons, or ﬂesh. Siege-salts come in 
  individual leathern pouches about the size of a human 
  hand, each weighing about a pound and useful against one 
  foe. Larger doses, including those used by siege engineers, 
  come in 10-pound hand-kegs and 20-pound barrels, all 
  wrapped in cloth to prevent any leaks or exposure to 
  moisture.
  Temperants are alchemical processes which 
  affect materials on an elemental level. They come 
  in two forms—a thick paste that has one use and 
  is temporary in effect, and a more permanent (and 
  more expensive) liquid bath.
  Temperant pastes come in specially-treated 
  muslin bags about the size of a human ﬁst and are 
  squeezed onto the surface or object in question. The 
  paste reacts quickly and tempers the material, and 
  each dose usually holds enough to treat a long 
  sword or a small shield.
  The baths tend toward translucent 
  liquids that bubble and froth only when 
  materials are reacting to the agents 
  within them. The baths can be as small 
  as a cup for tempering jewelry or as 
  large as a bathtub for the immersion of 
  large objects, including humanoid beings. 
  If found as treasure, temperant baths usually 
  come in tall metal barrels that can just ﬁt a long 
  sword into them (though there’s no telling what 
  the bath is keyed to do unless you’re an alchemist or 
  instructions are attached). 
  Alchemists can learn the temperant process for 
  one or more materials, and learn how to affect 
  (either enhance or reduce) its stability 
  and inherent properties. In short, 
  temperants are puriﬁcations or 
  corruptions of materials, a basic 
  aspect of alchemy. The limit to 
  temperants is simply that each 
  material must be learned separately 
  (i.e. bronze or gold can’t be affected 
  if the alchemist only knows temperant 
  processes for animal hides—aka leather—
  or wood). Examples and types are:
  • 
  Antemperant 
  Baths: 
  Exactly 
  like the baths described above 
  and below but with reducing or 
  weakening effects on substances 
  (and a dangerous but viable way 
  to destroy magical items and 
  artifacts);
  • 
  Lesser Baths: Temperant baths that 
  increase items’ resistance to common 
  forms of destruction, from acids or 
  other topical substances to preventing 
  oxidation or dry rot.
  • 
  Minor Baths: Temperant baths that 
  increase the hardness and material 
  strength of items.
  • 
  Major Baths: Temperant baths that can 
  improve on previous baths’ effects 
  or affect certain properties without 
  adversely 
  affecting 
  others 
  (like 
  increasing the strength and hardiness of 
  a bow without sacriﬁcing its ﬂexibility or 
  weight).
  • 
  Prime Baths: The apex of this art form, prime 
  temperant baths purify substances to their 
  ultimate degree (like allowing common steel to 
  become as hard as adamantite). 
  • 
  Pastes: Temperants that temporarily induce the 
  effects of the minor baths but never for more 
  than 8 hours (2d4 hours of effectiveness).
  Note: The Five Stones (and any future greater alchana created by 
  the DM) cannot be crafted without the Create Greater Alchana feat. Thus, 
  most alchemists’ careers culminate in creating Prime Temperant Baths and 
  Emerald Tablets, as few move into the time-consuming studies of the Greater 
  Alchana due to lack of time, money, patience, or intelligence.
  Chymicals & Compounds
  Just as alchana are the catch-all for many 
  varieties of alchemical items, chymicals 
  represent substances useful in a d20 game 
  when added to other materials. This also 
  corresponds 
  to 
  those 
  substances 
  used 
  behind the scenes in the alchemical process. 
  In other words, these are what you’d ﬁnd in 
  the Mr. Alchemist’s Home Chymistry Kit for 
  Little Adventurers. Most will go unnamed and 
  unmentioned among the catalog items, as they 
  only have minor or supportive uses. Sufﬁce 
  it to say that chymicals are at the heart of 
  most, if not all, other categories of items.
  Acids are the chymicals most commonly 
  used by the adventuring public, and by 
  commoners as well. After all, how can one 
  engrave and etch masterworked blades 
  without some form of acid? In general, 
  acids will be found in ceramic, stone, or 
  heavy glass ﬂasks. The variety and strength of 
  acids can range far beyond the generic noted 
  in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
  Alchemortars are additives that can 
  be mixed into wet mortar to achieve some 
  defensive effects in stone constructions 
  without the cost of magic. These also stave 
  off the danger that a siege wizard could 
  negate said defenses with dispel magic. While 
  most commonly used in the construction of 
  stone buildings, some lesser alchemortars can 
  be mixed into the more common wattle-and-
  daub buildings. Alchemortars are lumpy granular 
  chymicals varying in amounts from three pounds to a 
  few hundred pounds, depending on the size of the job 
  and how much mortar is needed. It is also transported 
  in clay-lined barrels, from a hand-sized barrel for the 
  smallest amount (for small huts or small wall repairs) 
  to barrels as tall as an ogre.
  Aquas are liquids used in the alchemical processes 
  of creating other items. Some, however, can be used 
  independently for direct effects. Aquas are usually 
  only found in laboratories, either bubbling away 
  in alembics and retorts or in storage, packaged into 
  heavy ceramic teardrop-shaped bottles ranging from 2 
  to 4 ounces in size.
  Bases are not listed within the catalog or on the 
  table below, but they are important chymicals as 
  neutral liquids or solids used in most alchemical (and 
  magical) creations—they hold onto the magics or other 
  alchemical effects within any and all items. As these are 
  anything from animal byproducts to minerals to herbal 
  Chapter 7
  
  61
  products, there are no generic storage units or descriptions 
  for bases. 
  Inks and Paints are identical to common inks and 
  paints, though these chymicals induce or produce various 
  effects beyond just the written word or wall coloring. 
  Alchemical inks tend to be placed in narrow stone vials 
  holding from one to four ounces, and their stoppers also 
  have a pen attached inside the bottle, allowing immediate 
  use of the inks. Paints are usually found in sealed clay 
  jars from four to twelve ounces in size, and the user must 
  supply a brush or applying instrument of some sort. 
  The special alchemical paints stand out from magical or 
  mundane paints by their complete 
  lack of odor. (Inks and paints are 
  among the few chymicals that can 
  be produced by herbalists as well as 
  alchemists in this category.)
  Sealing Waxes are a new 
  venture for many alchemists, or at 
  least those seals with special effects 
  embedded within the wax itself. 
  The great demand by rulers and 
  politicians and business leaders to 
  ﬁnd nonmagical and cheaper ways 
  of protecting their correspondence 
  brought forth this new type of 
  compound 
  based. 
  Alchemists 
  alone can test fragments of wax 
  and determine whether it was 
  commonly or alchemically made. 
  Sealing waxes are usually found in 
  small boxes with two compartments, 
  one holding up to four sticks of wax 
  (each about the size of a human 
  index ﬁnger), and the other a small 
  vial of liquid and a metal stamp. 
  Solvents are standard within 
  the laboratory, substances which 
  dissolve and break down other 
  materials to make them more easily 
  usable by the alchemist. These 
  range from distilled and puriﬁed 
  waters to the ultimate solvent—the 
  Alkahest of Zorias—which can 
  break any unenchanted thing down 
  to its component base materials. 
  Like bases, these are of such a broad 
  range of materials that a generic 
  description of types and containers 
  is impossible.
  Erlcana
  Erlcana is a generic classiﬁcation 
  of the greater items and creations 
  accessible to the most knowledgeable 
  of herbalists. Like the alchana of the 
  alchemists, there are two levels of 
  erlcana, with the greater erlcana 
  untouchable by all but the greatest 
  of herbalists. Aside from the three 
  speciﬁc types of erlcana below, 
  this is the classiﬁcation for any 
  herbalist’s creation that does not ﬁt 
  any other category.
  Erlixirs are the ultimate herbal 
  creations and gifts from nature. 
  These transformative liquids are draughts so powerful as 
  to permanently effect those who imbibe them, for good 
  or ill. These are the equivalent of the Alchana Stones 
  to alchemists, and have always been placed in three 
  speciﬁcally shaped ceramic bottles as noted under their 
  entries. 
  Erlmantles are living, sentient greater swathes, and 
  while they are hardly as powerful or as ﬂashy as the 
  Alchana Stones, they are the penultimate in erlcana for one 
  reason—they are new life which bridges the gap between 
  plant life and mortal sentience. They bond to herbalists 
  Table 12: Chymicals & Compounds
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Item
  01-03
  01-10
  Acid of Zarias
  01-05
  04-07
  Acid, Generic Standard
  06-09
  Acid, Glazier’s
  10-12
  08-10
  Acid, Lockblight
  11-14
  Acid, Masterwreck
  13-15
  15-17
  Acid, Orc’s Drool
  16-18
  18-20
  Alchemortar (II—Dragonscale)
  21-23
  11-25
  Alchemortar (III—Dragon’s tongue)
  24-25
  26-40
  Alchemortar (IV—Flowstone)
  26-27
  41-50
  Alchemortar (I—Yield Mortar)
  19-22
  28-29
  Alchemortar (V—Bonemortar)
  23-25
  30-31
  Alchemortar (VIII—Strongwall)
  26-30
  32-33
  Alchemortar (VII—Snuffwall)
  34
  51-65
  Alchemortar (VI—Spellmortar)
  35-36
  Alkahest of Zarias
  31-35
  37-38
  Aqua clarissima
  36-40
  39-40
  Aqua fortis
  41-45
  41-42
  Aqua metallorum
  46-50
  43-45
  Aqua permanens
  51-55
  46-48
  Aqua regia
  56-60
  49-53
  Aqua vitae
  61-65
  Bladeblack
  54-57
  66-80
  Hyur’s Paint
  66-70
  58-60
  Ink of Scribes’ Reprisal
  71-75
  61-65
  Jhotan’s Sealing Waxes (1 box of 4 sticks, 
  1 of each type)
  76-80
  66-70
  Maxar’s Antivenom
  71-73
  Misersorrow
  74-75
  N’Kinnym’s Skeletalchymical Bath (1 barrel)
  81-85
  76-80
  Putty of Heavy Air
  86-90
  81-87
  Royalscar 
  91-95
  88-92
  Saragun’s Condensor
  96-00
  93-97
  Tragar’s Esoterinks
  98-00
  81-00
  Metalchemponents
  In many cases, the only difference between a chymical minor, medium, or major item 
  (when listed on more than one column) is the amount. Unless otherwise noted in the 
  catalog entry, assume that the greater listing of a substance denotes double the normal 
  amount.
  Catalog Herbala
  
  62
  and other nature-oriented beings (from monsters to 
  mages), and they can also become familiars for those so 
  empowered to summon one. (See Appendix One for more 
  info.)
  Swathes are tangles of living plants joined in an 
  amalgam to alter existing magic or affect new wonders of 
  their own. There are three types of swathes herbalists can 
  create from the Grow Swathe feat: Graft Swathes, Greater 
  Swathes, and Cocoon Swathes. 
  Graft swathes are living plant enhancements for 
  various and sundry magic items. They come in a variety 
  of shapes and sizes, but tend to be living or seemingly 
  living plants bonded to the magic item to enhance or 
  alter its effects, range, or shape, but not its damage or the 
  magic itself. Examples include holly entwining a staff, 
  violets sprouting from a wand, and a briar growing on 
  and around a suit of armor. Swathes cannot be grafted 
  to anything of less material strength than thick leather 
  or wood. In other words, one cannot attach a swathe 
  to a shirt unless it is a boiled hard leather shirt (i.e. a 
  cuirass/leather breastplate). The varieties of graftswathes 
  are clotheswathes (items whose effects are linked to 
  the swathe on them), defenswathes (grafts on armor or 
  shields) and standard grafts onto magical items. They will 
  only be found already grafted onto the items just noted.
  Greater swathes tangle around the user in various ways 
  and are independent. In other words, greater swathes do 
  not have to attach themselves to items (though they can if 
  desired). In fact, unlike the lesser grafts, greater swathes 
  can attach themselves to living tissue and directly enhance 
  a living being’s armor class or native abilities. These can 
  be found within a swathold (see Wondrous Items) or in an 
  inert form as a hard-packed cluster of roots and brambles 
  tightly wrapped together, almost like a tumbleweed with 
  no room for air between its branches. These “sleeping” 
  swathes are up to a foot in diameter, and half again as 
  long in length.
  Cocoon swathes are a type of greater swathe which, 
  when activated or coaxed into activity, wrap around a 
  being or target to effect its abilities. There are three known 
  types of cocoon swathes—one provides healing, another 
  acts for protection and shielding, and the third and rarest 
  of them aids or effects the Greengifting of an individual 
  (see Erlixir of Greengifting or Appendix 
  One—Kin o’ the Green). Cocoon swathes, 
  when found, appear as a normal greater 
  swathe unless they are found actively 
  cocooned around a body (in which case 
  they’ll be a tight collection of leaves and 
  branches and roots and brambles in an 
  ovular shape slightly larger than the body 
  they encompass).
  Ingestibles
  Obviously, these are alchemical or herbal 
  items which are activated by consumption. 
  In other words, eating and drinking these 
  items activates their abilities, just like 
  magical potions. In general, these tend to be 
  bottled or packaged in opaque containers 
  to prevent spoilage by sunlight, though 
  sizes and forms vary. 
  Elixirs almost seem more magical 
  than the usual ingestibles, as they look 
  like liquid metal and absorb into the 
  body instantaneously, almost without 
  swallowing. If an elixir spills or is poured out, it quickly 
  soaks into whatever surface it is on and is wasted (i.e. if not 
  consumed fully, it is wasted even if it soaks into the skin 
  of your palm). Thus, elixirs cannot be tested by tasting, 
  either by adventurers or by alchemists—to lose even a few 
  drops of an elixir is to destroy its effectiveness. That is the 
  primary difference between them and other consumables. 
  Elixirs, therefore, tend to come in distinct bottles, often 
  carved from stone or made of metals. They are up to two 
  ounces in volume and usually have stoppers that screw 
  into the bottle and hang from chains (so that the bottle can 
  be worn or carried as a pendant of sorts). 
  Feeds are herbal concoctions which provide near-
  magical effects for animals, most notably steeds such as 
  horses. This style of ingestible was pioneered by Maxar of 
  Jhoth, a ranger and herbalist whose knowledge of animals 
  equaled his understanding of plants. Adding these herbal 
  mixtures to a standard helping of oats or feed provides 
  a temporary beneﬁt for the horse. Note that there are no 
  negative herbal feeds, as most animals can sense (usually 
  by smell) anything bad in their food. These feeds are 
  found tightly wrapped in wax-treated cloth and twine 
  and bundled in single servings that can be opened and 
  scattered into a feedbag. 
  Philters, most often described as love potions, are 
  decoctions and macerations made by herbalists to enhance 
  or alter a body’s innate chemistry and inﬂuence others’ 
  perceptions of it. In short, drinking a philter can affect a 
  person’s Charisma or simply change her scent or the oils 
  on his skin to inﬂuence the reactions of animals and other 
  people. Thicker than some other ingestibles, philters are 
  placed in specially treated leathern bags and the philter is 
  sucked and squeezed out of the container into the mouth. 
  The color of the leather might suggest which type of 
  philter is inside, while some mark the leather with runes 
  or writing for identiﬁcation.
  Potions are technically ingestibles, but without the 
  aid of a spellcaster (assuming your character isn’t one), 
  most magical potions are beyond the reach of alchemists 
  or herbalists. They can create the chymicals, infusions, 
  and decoctions that will hold the spell energies, but they 
  may not be able to cast the spells themselves. Thus, the 
  Table 13: Lesser Erlcana
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Item
  01-09
  _
  Bandoleaves (Defenswathe)
  10-18
  _
  Beltswathe (Clotheswathe)
  19-26
  01-15
  _
  Clotheswathe (Any)
  27-36
  16-30
  _
  Defenswathe (Armor)
  37-46
  _
  Defenswathe (Shields)
  47-55
  _
  Entanglobe
  31-45
  _
  Graftswathe (Rod or Staff)
  56-66
  _
  Graftswathe (Wand)
  67-76
  46-62
  _
  Graftswathe (Weapons)
  77-85
  _
  Ivyswathe Gloves (Clotheswathe)
  63-77
  _
  Thornswathe Gauntlets 
  (Clotheswathe)
  86-93
  78-00
  _
  Throatsprout Mist
  94-00
  _
  Wildswathe Boots (Clotheswathe)
  Chapter 7
  
  63
  only ones that appear within the Catalog below are those 
  potions with herbal or alchemical effects instead of the 
  standard magical potions. There is no way to differentiate 
  these special potions from the standards in the Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide.
  Teas and Tisanes come in small jars about two ﬁngers 
  in diameter, with a clamped-down cork or rubber cover to 
  keep them dry at all times. Often loose collections of dried 
  leaves and herbs, they are best identiﬁed by scent. Both 
  are useful and their special properties are revealed by 
  immersing their component herbs into hot (or cold) water. 
  Tisanes differ from teas in their method of use—while 
  some effects can be gained by drinking an infusion of the 
  herbs and water, tisanes are best used as moist poultices 
  pressed onto areas to be affected or healed.
  Tinctures (also known as essences) are concentrated 
  potions of sorts, contained in small vials with droppers in 
  the caps. One drop of a tincture in the mouth or beneath 
  the tongue is one dose, and tincture vials tend to carry 5-
  10 (1d6+4) drops each. These magical liquids have a much 
  shorter duration and more limited effect than potions or 
  other ingestibles, but trade more major effects for their 
  portability (vials are often sold on chains and worn as 
  necklaces). Their multiple doses and concentration also 
  make them very expensive. Due to their often bitter taste, 
  tinctures and essences can be made a bit more palatable 
  by mixing one dose with sugar and water to create 
  syrups. There is a danger in using tinctures, due to their 
  concentrated forms—if more than one drop is consumed 
  at a time, a person can overdose (effects are noted under 
  individual tinctures).
  Tonics and Antidotes counteract poisons and other 
  adverse alchemical effects. They most often come in 
  ingestible forms, though there are a few antidotes among 
  other categories for highly speciﬁc reasons. Antidotes can 
  be ingestible even if the poisons or effects they counteract 
  are introduced otherwise. Tonics are put in squarish jars 
  or bottles of translucent black glass or stone, and their 
  stoppers are often carved or shaped as small hands (for 
  antidotes vs. unguents), shields (for weapon-induced 
  poisons), or various other shapes to suggest the material 
  they combat.
  Powders & Dusts
  Both of these types are dry, ﬁnely-ground substances 
  which elicit their effect once applied. The only difference 
  between powders and dusts is that powders tend to be 
  blown upon their targets, while dusts are sprinkled 
  manually. Powders are either encased in small glass, 
  ceramic, bone, or metal tubes or placed in a small jar with 
  a tube attached to the top. Blowing through either tube 
  gathers and emits the powder in a cone 20 feet long and 
  10 feet wide at its outermost end. Dusts can be found in 
  wide-mouthed but thin glass jars and are distributed by 
  pinches or handfuls onto carefully controlled areas, or 
  thrown as a grenade-like missile to smash on impact.
  Toxins & Poisons
  U
  nlike the other categories, there are no set 
  standards or forms for poisons, nor are there 
  easily deﬁned types. While a potion only works 
  if drunk, many toxins can work if ingested, administered 
  topically, injected via needle, or slathered on a weapon 
  and introduced with the insertion of said weapon. That’s 
  why there are poisons listed within the tables of a number 
  of categories above and below. This section merely 
  provides a list of all the poisonous and lethal toxins for 
  ease of reference. For purposes of randomly determining if 
  they are found among treasure caches, use the individual 
  classiﬁcation tables as indicated by the roll—all the toxins 
  are cross-listed among those tables.
  Also, while they may be listed under other types, the 
  ability to create any of them comes only from the Craft 
  Toxins feat. Only the generic poisons noted in the Player’s 
  Handbook can be created with the Profession (Herbalist) or 
  Craft (Alchemy) skills unless otherwise noted.
  Aside from the added classiﬁcation and the DC for 
  creation, this table operates under the same strictures and 
  details as in core d20 releases (duplicating or expanding 
  some info below). The prices for said toxins and poisons 
  are either noted in the Player’s Handbook or within the 
  catalog later in the chapter. 
  Type (Classiﬁcation): The poison’s method of delivery 
  (and the classiﬁcation within this chapter).
  Initial Damage: The damage the character takes 
  immediately upon failing his saving throw against this 
  type of poison/toxin. Ability score damage is temporary 
  unless marked with an asterisk (*), in which case the loss is 
  a permanent drain. Paralysis lasts for 2d6 minutes unless 
  otherwise noted.
  Secondary Damage: The amount of damage the character 
  takes 1 minute after being poisoned, if he fails a second 
  saving throw. Unconsciousness lasts for 
  1d3 hours. Losses marked with an asterisk 
  are permanent drains instead of temporary 
  damage.
  DC to Create/Resist: The ﬁrst DC is 
  the number needed for a successful Craft 
  (Alchemy) or Profession (Herbalist) skill 
  check to create the substance. The second 
  is the number needed for a successful save 
  versus toxin on both saving throws.
  #: These poisons are originally listed on 
  Table 3-16 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide 
  (Chapter 8) and are listed here for their DC 
  to Create. These poisons can replace any of 
  those rolled up on other category random 
  tables. 
  Table 14: Greater Erlcana
  Medium
  Major
  Item
  01-10
  Erlixir of Greengifting
  01-25
  11-25
  Erlixir of Trees’ Voice
  Erlixir of Winter’s Legacy 
  26-35
  Erlmantle, Bonded or Familiar
  36-45
  Swathe, Greater (Greengifting Cocoon)
  26-50
  46-53
  Swathe, Greater (Healing Cocoon)
  51-75
  54-65
  Swathe, Greater (Shield Cocoon)
  66-70
  Swathe, Greater (Swathelm)
  76-00
  71-85
  Swathe, Greater (Travelerswathe)
  86-95
  Swathe, Greater (Wardingswathe)
  96-00
  Tarasta’s Immersive 
  Catalog Herbala
  
  64
  Unguents
  If it’s smeared onto something, spread over something, or 
  applied externally for whatever reason, it’s an unguent. 
  The differences among them tend to be their effects, their 
  consistencies, their odors, and the materials to which they 
  can be applied. 
  Balms and Lotions are thick, opaque liquids, 
  suspensions of herbal or alchemical substances within an 
  oil and water (or aqua) base. These are applied to exposed 
  skin or surface and remain there while they bestow their 
  effects. They are stored in treated leather pouches (roughly 
  the size of a human hand) and are squeezed out onto the 
  surface to be affected. 
  Oils are usually clear or translucent liquids only a 
  little more viscous than water, with a slight odor. Most are 
  ﬂammable, and none evaporate save at high temperatures. 
  Oils can be applied manually, poured and allowed to 
  spread on their own, or thrown in a breakable container 
  as a grenade-like missile. Oils are stored in triangular 
  or otherwise edged thin-glass and ceramic ﬂasks three 
  ﬁngers wide at most.
  Ointments & Liniments are similar to balms and 
  lotions, though they are slightly more ﬂuid and can 
  be poured out of their containers if desired. They are 
  absorbed into the skin or surface and cannot be negated 
  by simply washing the area where they were applied. 
  Ointments and liniments come in wide-mouth shallow 
  jars and application involves a person dipping one or more 
  ﬁngers in and scooping out the substance to smear it onto 
  the affected surface. Most jars contain enough ointment 
  to thinly cover a medium-sized person or a ﬁve-foot by 
  ﬁve-foot surface.
  Pastes are thick, gummy substances that may be 
  adhesive. In general, a paste is something that is smeared 
  onto a surface and does not spread beyond the area where 
  applied. Pastes are stored in the same sorts of jars as salves, 
  though their jar stoppers have an applier, usually similar to 
  a wooden tongue depressor, attached to the underside of 
  the cap. They’re spread in this way, as direct contact might 
  activate them. Each jar of paste holds enough material to 
  lightly cover a ﬁve-foot by ﬁve-foot surface. 
  Perfumes are quickly evaporating liquids infused with 
  oils, herbs and alchemical substances—their effects are 
  caused by the vapors that rise as they evaporate. In some 
  ways, perfume could be seen as a form of inhaled poison. 
  Perfumes are stored in small, opaque bottles ranging from 
  an eighth of an ounce to a full ounce. They are usually 
  applied by dabbing on a ﬁnger and touching the liquid 
  lightly to the skin. Some perfumes could be considered 
  cursed items, as they only affect the person to whom they 
  are applied.
  Salves are unguents between the viscosity of balms 
  and pastes, and they are always opaque and odorous 
  (both traits are factors in their effectiveness). They come 
  in rounded leathern pouches the size of two clenched 
  human ﬁsts and contain enough salve to affect or cover 
  one medium-sized being or two small-sized beings. They 
  react like both balms and ointments, partly eliciting their 
  effects by absorption through skin or surfaces and partly by 
  remaining on the surface. Washing may reduce or cancel 
  the effects of a salve—each individual item describes how 
  to cancel its particular properties. 
  Wondrous Items
  Items which are predominantly magical but require herbal 
  and alchemical knowledge to create still gain entry into the 
  Catalog below. As they are a grab bag of items, there are 
  no generic descriptions or details, save that the functions 
  of these items can be disrupted by anti-magics and other 
  things which affect enchantments. 
  Catalog of Wonders
  B
  efore we dive into the full catalog, one last note 
  on Caster Level and variable powers for these 
  herbal and alchemical items and substances—
  unless speciﬁcally noted, dispel magic has no effect on these 
  items, assuming they were not made with magic (via Craft 
  Wondrous Item). Granted, limited wish and other such 
  all-encompassing magics can still cancel their abilities, 
  but those magics are even rarer than the most powerful 
  alchemical creations or herbal concoctions!
  Bear in mind that the numbers listed for the item 
  creation DCs must be rolled or reached by adjustments 
  and skill points—rolling a 20 or “taking 20” does not 
  automatically mean a successful creation. Since the 
  failure of a check results in a failure to create an item, 
  characters cannot take 20, and item creation skills such as 
  Craft (Alchemy) and Profession (Herbalist) have a built-
  in “take 10” effect in their timing (see “Creation Times” 
  above). Thus, few alchemists or herbalists even attempt to 
  make items before they have enough skill ranks and feat 
  or circumstance bonuses to succeed more often than they 
  fail. 
  Example: D’za the 13th-level sorcerer has 16 ranks of 
  Craft (Alchemy), Skill Focus [Craft (Alchemy)], and the 
  Create Alchana feat. She wants to create some bloodiron 
  (DC 27) to forge into an ogre-slaying weapon as a wedding 
  gift for her future husband. She gains a +3 from the skill 
  focus (but no bonus from the prerequisite feat), so she only 
  needs to roll a (8 +16+3=27) or higher to successfully craft 
  a supply of bloodiron. However, she also wants to make 
  some mage-gold (DC 35) to craft into a wedding tiara for 
  herself, and she’ll need a roll of 16 or better to craft that 
  (16+16+3=35). 
  Abjurer’s Chalk [Unguent; Special]
  While not essential, abjurer’s chalk can help in casting 
  protective circles or making sigils and marks. If used in 
  casting a spell where symbols (visible or invisible) are 
  traced to delineate a spell’s area of effect or boundaries (a 
  magic circle or symbol), it adds a +1 to any die of effect or 
  total DC effect. Its best use is in conjunction with instant 
  summons, as it negates the need to sacriﬁce other physical 
  Table 15: Greater Alchana
  Major
  Item
  01-25
  Alchemist’s Stone
  26-40
  Healer’s Stone
  41-65
  Mystic’s Stone
  66-75
  Philosopher’s Stone
  76-00
  Sorcerer’s Stone
  The percentages noted above for the Five Stones simply 
  indicate which Stones are more prevalent than others (i.e. 
  which ones more alchemists have succeeded in making). It is 
  highly recommended that you do not drop an Alchana Stone 
  into a campaign without serious thought as to why it is there 
  and the impact it will have on the game.
  Chapter 7
  
  65
  components if the abjurer’s chalk was used to make the 
  arcane mark on the item being summoned. It can be used 
  to help the following spells: alarm, arcane lock, arcane 
  mark, binding, consecrate (1 charge instead of 1 pound of 
  silver dust), explosive runes, glyph of warding, illusory script 
  (replaces normal components), mark of justice, the various 
  symbol spells, and teleportation circle (replaces normal 
  components). 
  Abjurer’s chalk is a slightly greasy grey-green 
  compound of dried resins, turmeric root, and various 
  other herbs and substances. It comes in a small leathern 
  pouch and can be used 3d12 times before it is worn away 
  to dust.
  Moderate abjuration; CL: 8th; Craft Unguent; DC: 24; 
  Price: 8,000 gp
  Acid of Zarias [Chymical; Special]
  Zarias’ Acid reduces the hit points of a material without 
  affecting its hardness or its break DC. Each two-ounce dose 
  of the acid of Zarias can affect one item up to four feet in 
  length (such as a long sword) and reduces treated material 
  by 1d10 hit points. This acid never reduces an object to 
  less than one hit point, as it leaves the material intact but 
  weakened. What confounds many is that this acid doesn’t 
  appear to have any immediate effect at all—the affected 
  materials look the same as they did before. However, 
  Table 16: Lesser Alchana
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Item
  01-05
  01-04
  —
  Alchemists’ Fire*
  05-08
  01-10
  Alkahest of Zarias
  09-11
  Bloodiron (1 barrel temperant + 1d3 5# bars of metal)
  06-09
  12-15
  Bloodiron (1 barrel temperant + worked item )
  11-19
  Bloodiron—Item
  20-28
  Bloodsteel (1 barrel temperant + 1d3 5# bars of metal)
  16-18
  29-37
  Bloodsteel—Item
  38-46
  Bloodsteel, Greater—Item
  10-14
  19-21
  Chymissile (1d4 Arrows)
  15-18
  22-25
  Chymissile (1d8 Sling bullets)
  19-23
  26-28
  Chyra’s Polish (1 jar)
  47-55
  Emerald Tablet 
  24-27
  29-31
  Fluidsteel (1d3 bottles)
  32-35
  56-63
  Mage-gold
  36-39
  64-73
  Mage-silver
  28-31
  40-43
  Siege Salts of Blindness
  32-35
  44-47
  Siege Salts of Burning
  36-39
  48-52
  Siege Salts of Drying
  40-44
  53-56
  Siege Salts of Fog
  45-49
  57-60
  Siege Salts of Slumber
  50-54
  Smokestick* (1d6 sticks)
  55-58
  61-63
  Smolder Bottle
  59-62
  64-67
  Sophic Fire (1d4 jars)
  63-66
  68-71
  Steelscrolls (1d4 blank or 1 with 1d4-level spell on it)
  67-70
  72-75
  Sunrod* 
  71-74
  76-79
  Tanglefoot Bag* (1d4 bags)
  75-78
  Temperant Bath, Lesser (8 types)
  80-83
  74-83
  Temperant Bath, Major 
  84-87
  84-92
  Temperant Bath, Minor (5 types)
  93-00
  Temperant Bath, Prime 
  79-82
  88-89
  Temperant Paste, Bone
  83-86
  90-92
  Temperant Paste, Leather
  87-89
  93-94
  Temperant Paste, Metals
  90-93
  95-96
  Temperant Paste, Stone
  94-97
  97-98
  Temperant Paste, Wood
  97-00
  99-00
  Thunderstone* (1d4 stones)
  Catalog Herbala
  
  66
  when attacked or subjected to stress, the 
  materials only last until their hardness is 
  exceeded by damage, so they crumble far 
  more quickly than expected. 
  The acid of Zarias has become more 
  available since the old mage’s death, 
  thanks to his innumerable apprentices, but 
  its price is high due to its hidden effects 
  and easy use. By common agreement, 
  Zarias’ acid comes in squarish blue glass 
  bottles that hold two ounces of acid (the 
  acid does not affect glass). Opening the 
  bottle, a brief wisp of purplish smoke 
  usually rises from the short neck, and the 
  acid itself is a lilac-colored translucent 
  liquid that quickly soaks into any and all 
  materials save glass.
  The acid was originally developed 
  by Zarias centuries ago to help remove a 
  tyrant, and the alchemist brought down 
  a castle by weakening key stones at the 
  base of the walls and allowing them to be 
  shattered by a single blow from a mace. 
  Today, this acid is sold to many who 
  wish to break someone out of a prison 
  (reducing chains or walls to easily broken 
  shadows of their former selves), defend 
  castles (thrown as grenade-like missiles 
  onto open drawbridges to have them 
  break while castle invaders cross it), and 
  so forth.
  Strong evocation; CL 12th; Craft 
  Chymicals; DC: 30; Price: 750 gp
  Alchemist’s 
  Stone 
  [Alchana, 
  Greater; Special]
  One of the Five Great Alchana Stones, the 
  Alchemist’s Stone can be made or used 
  by any alchemist as an aid to increase 
  the chances of making other creations. 
  Simply having the stone in contact with the bearer’s skin 
  (such as worn as a pendant or held in the hand) adds a 
  +10 competence bonus to any Craft (Alchemy) checks. 
  It also has a primary power to replicate chymicals and 
  alchemical substances—if placed in contact with any 
  alchemical substance, it spontaneously duplicates the 
  material in 10% of the normal creation time and 
  without any additional costs or materials. It can 
  only perform this duplication with chymicals, 
  ingestibles, powders, and unguents, not lesser or 
  greater alchana.
  The Alchemist’s Stone is a crimson stone that 
  gains a sheen or polish from simply wearing or 
  touching it, much like a worry-stone, but its 
  hue also signals how much power it holds. 
  If the item is used only to boost alchemical 
  checks and knowledge (chymically keeping 
  an alchemist focused on the creation in front 
  of her and sharpening her memory of said 
  knowledge), it lasts indeﬁnitely. However, 
  using it to replicate alchemical substances 
  reduces its strength. An Alchemist’s Stone only 
  carries 5d20 charges for such use, and each charge 
  only replicates one standard dose or amount as described 
  under individual entries. Thus, its ability to help speed 
  an alchemist’s creation of other substances makes this a 
  highly sought-after creation in and of itself.
  No aura; CL 18th; Create Greater Alchana; DC: 40 (if 
  red alchemist), 41 (if another prestige class alchemist), 42 
  (if generic alchemist); Price: 300,000 gp (minimum)
  Alchemortars [Chymical; Special]
  Alchemortars are lumpy granular chymicals 
  created in batches of 3 pounds at a time, though 
  used in varying amounts up to a few hundred 
  pounds, depending on how much mortar is 
  needed. The effects and disparities among 
  the alchemortars are discussed below. 
  Regardless of type, to be effective one 
  pound of alchemortar is mixed with 
  regular mortar or plaster for every 2-
  foot square of wall. Therefore, a wall 20 
  feet high and 20 feet wide and 10 feet 
  thick will need 500 (10x10x5) pounds of 
  alchemortar (and, assuming four equal 
  walls around a castle, 2,000 pounds of 
  alchemortar for total protection). 
  There are at least eight types of alchemortars 
  and they all share a few common features. They all 
  have a mixture of green and blue crystal ﬂakes within the 
  powdery grey mortar, though these crystals fade after 
  Table 17: Ingestibles
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Item
  01-04
  Antitoxin, Generic*
  01-12
  Chyra’s Philter 
  01-14
  Elixir of Demihumankind
  15-28
  Elixir of Life
  29-44
  Elixir of Purity
  13-24
  05-10
  Feed of Elemental Resistance
  25-35
  11-14
  Feed of Refreshment
  36-46
  15-19
  Feed of Restfulness
  20-24
  45-60
  Marael’s Tisane
  25-29
  61-75
  Maxar’s Greater Antidote
  30-34
  Philter of the Pack
  35-40
  Philter of the Predator
  45-51
  Philter of Wildscent
  52-57
  76-88
  Potion of Delayed Miscibility
  58-62
  89-00
  Potion of Extension
  47-59
  Ptarl’s Lurking Menace
  63-67
  Ptarl’s Potion of Patient Vengeance
  60-69
  68-72
  Tincture of Energy
  70-80
  73-77
  Tisane of Bloodstrength
  78-82
  Tisane of Limbetter
  83-88
  Tonic of Internal Fortitude (vs. 
  Ingestibles)
  89-93
  Tonic of Topicalapse (vs. Unguents)
  81-90
  94-00
  Tonic of Toxinstop (Antidote, poison) 
  91-00
  Tarasta’s New Day Tea
  * From  Chapter 7 of the  Player’s Handbook.
  Chapter 7
  
  67
  their chymicals are released by mixing and setting. They 
  all smell strongly of quicklime, salt, and, oddly enough, 
  roses when added to normal mortars or plasters. Lastly, 
  they all signify their presence while being mixed with 
  regular mortars by temporarily turning the mixture a 
  dark blue—this fades with further mixing and the mortar 
  returns to the standard grayish hue. When mixed with 
  plaster for wattle-and-daub buildings, this effect actually 
  turns the mixture a bright green which slowly fades to 
  yellow during mixing, and turns a brilliant white upon 
  drying. 
  This is a relatively new creation and very expensive, so 
  only those who can make it for themselves or are very rich 
  can afford to use it at all. The cheapest alchemortar has a 
  market price of 1,000 gp per 10 pounds, so protecting a 
  castle is expensive (500,000 gp minimum for the example 
  above) but oftimes worth it.
  Alchemortar Type I (Yield-Mortar)
  This alchemortar actually seems to make the wall weaker 
  by making the mortar slightly ﬂexible, almost rubbery. It 
  allows some resistance to blunt forces but pushes back as 
  much as it yields, and this allows a stone building to ride 
  out earthquakes with lessened damage and resist blunt 
  force damage as well. The walls gain a break DC bonus of 
  +1 per foot of thickness. 
  Alchemortar Type II (Dragonscale Mortar)
  When applied, a sheen seeps out of the mortar and onto the 
  entire wall, making the stone shine as if polished—thus its 
  name of dragonscale mortar. For all intents and purposes, 
  this is alchemical weatherprooﬁng and provides a resist 
  elements effect of 8 points per round against the effects of 
  rain, wind, ice, temperature extremes. This also applies 
  against ﬁre and lightning damage, whether from the skies, 
  the breath of dragons, or attacking spellcasters.
  Alchemortar Type III (Dragon’s Tongue Mortar)
  This mortar seems nondescript but is tailor-made to 
  prevent entry by thieves, spies, and general skulkers. 
  The mortar renders the wall acidic to the touch of organic 
  things—leather, living tissue, etc.—and is thus very 
  difﬁcult to climb, as it eats away at ﬂesh, gloves, and the 
  like. It also has an acidic effect on ropes, so grappling hooks 
  are likewise problematic on these walls. Contact for more 
  than one round exponentially increases the damage—one 
  point of damage on the second round, two on the 
  third, four on the fourth, etc. There is also a +10 
  circumstance penalty for Climb attempts.
  While this mortar would seem problematic 
  for defenders wearing leather boots, that matter 
  is solved by putting thin sheets of metal behind 
  the merlons and battlements, allowing soldiers 
  to walk on the walls and not suffer any ill 
  effects (unless of course they lean or sit on the 
  battlements). Alternately, alchemists do offer 
  treatments for leather armors, gloves, and boots, 
  but at a minimum of 75 gp per pair of boots most 
  castle owners simply opt for the metal-lined 
  walkways.
  Alchemortar Type IV (Flowstone Mortar)
  This mortar is the most expensive of the 
  alchemortars, and for good reason. After setting, 
  the alchemist or another hired wizard casts stone 
  shape (affecting only the mortar) and causes the 
  mortar to fuse with the stones and create solid 
  rock walls. As each spell cast affects 10 cubic feet of stone 
  + 1 cubic foot per caster level, assume that every cubic 
  foot of mortar (the stone being shaped) equals 10 cubic 
  feet of wall; thus, each casting of stone shape affects at least 
  a 10x10x10 section of wall. The ultimate effects of this 
  mortar and spellcasting are: as solid stone, the wall’s hit 
  points double and its break DC rises by +5 per 3 feet of 
  thickness. 
  Prerequisite: In addition to the prerequisites noted 
  below, application of this type of alchemortar requires 
  stone shape to set the effects. The actual alchemortar can be 
  created without such knowledge.
  Alchemortar Type V (Bonemortar)
  This alchemortar is made primarily from bone dust and 
  sulphur, but does not appear any different from other 
  alchemortars or normal mortars. After application and 
  setting, bonemortar must be subjected to disrupt undead 
  spells, one per every 10 cubic feet of mortared wall. After 
  that, the walls (and any archways, windows, or other 
  openings) are protected as follows: any undead that comes 
  into contact with the walls (or passes through the openings) 
  suffers 1d4 points of damage per round of contact. The 
  living suffer no ill effects on touching these walls, though 
  necromancers feel unsettled after such contact.
  Of all the alchemortars, this type has generated the 
  most rumors. Some say alchemists are working on other 
  mixtures of this type to boost clerical turning effects, while 
  darker reports suggest that necromancers are increasing 
  the strength of their fortiﬁcations by merging skeletons 
  with their walls. 
  Prerequisite: In addition to the prerequisites noted 
  below, creation and application of this type of alchemortar 
  requires disrupt undead.
  Alchemortar Type VI (Spellmortar)
  This alchemortar, once dried, needs no further treatments 
  or spells, and provides defenses against spells by absorbing 
  particular spells and components during creation (not 
  during its mixing and setting with regular mortar). During 
  creation, an alchemist (or a fellow caster) must cast the 
  following spells into the chymicals in this order: transmute 
  mud to rock, transmute rock to mud, stone shape. Thereafter, 
  the alchemortar provides its treated walls with a Fortitude 
  save of +4 vs. those three particular spells, a +2 Fortitude 
  save against any transmutation spells, and a +1 Fortitude 
  Table 18: Powders & Dusts
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Item
  01-12
  01-15
  Cleansing dust
  13-25
  Darkvision Dust 
  26-39
  Denharil’s Doorjamb
  40-53
  16-31
  Powder of Climbing
  32-45
  01-33
  Dust of dweomerbaring
  54-65
  Handshield powder
  34-67
  Ironskin powder
  66-78
  46-60
  Locksbane Powder
  61-71
  68-00
  Oozebane dust
  79-90
  72-86
  Silentscent Powder
  91-00
  87-00
  Skinfernal Powder
  Catalog Herbala
  
  68
  save against any other spells or spell effects. These are all 
  circumstance bonuses.
  Prerequisite: In addition to the prerequisites noted 
  below, creation and application of this type of alchemortar 
  requires a spellcaster capable of casting 5th level spells.
  Alchemortar Type VII (Snuffwall)
  This mixture, called an alchemortar due to the similarity 
  of construction and use, is placed in plaster or quicklime 
  or other mixtures used to provide the solid walls for 
  wattle-and-daub homes. This provides the walls of the 
  building (but not the roof) with a +2 circumstance bonus 
  to Fortitude saves against all ﬁre and heat effects, making 
  it tougher (though not impossible) to burn down.
  Alchemortar Type VIII (Strongwall)
  Like snuffwall above, this alchemortar is mixed with 
  plaster or quicklime to provide a wattle-and-daub home 
  with stronger walls. After setting, the walls have a 
  Hardness of 7 and 12 hit points per inch of thickness.
  Alkahest of Zarias [Alchana; Special]
  This powerful solvent temporarily reduces the break DC 
  on any materials save glass by -15 without affecting its 
  innate nature or essence. Thus, it becomes easy to crush 
  or break materials for processing and using in alchemical 
  works. A ﬂask can be thrown as a grenade-like missile 
  (treat as a ﬂask of acid in all ways but damage) and its 
  effects are as follows:
  • 
  There are no saving throws against the Alkahest’s 
  effects (which is why it is so highly sought). 
  • 
  Solid materials break up into a gravelly powder, 
  and each 6-ounce ﬂask can reduce up to six 
  pounds of material to a granular form (starting 
  with the object at the point of impact, which 
  absorbs half the effect);
  • 
  Organic materials (living plants or animals or 
  people) suffer serious burns to exposed skin—
  2d6 points of damage on a direct hit and 1d4 
  points by splash (though the splash is limited 
  to a three-foot radius from the point of impact, 
  not the usual ﬁve). Bear in mind that a person 
  at the direct point of impact only suffers splash 
  Table 19: Toxins and Poisons Table
  Poison
  Type (Classiﬁcation)
  Initial Damage
  Secondary Damage
  CL
  DC*
  Atheists’ Paste
  Contact poison—
  Unguent
  1d4 pts damage/
  rd; Blindness and 
  nausea (Fort. save at 
  -2 for 1d4 rounds)
   1d4 pts/rd as long 
  as vapor exsits (1d12 
  or as in contact)
  3
  16/15
  Bloodroot #
  Injury poison
  0
  1d4 Con + 1d3 Wis
  1
  12/12
  Burnt othur fumes #
  Inhaled poison
  1 Con*
  3d6 Con
  2
  15/18
  Deathblade #
  Injury poison
  1d6 Con
  2d6 Con
  4
  17/20
  Ink of Scribes’ 
  Contact poison—
  Chymical 
  Nausea for 1d6 
  rounds
  2d12 pts of 
  1
  12/15
  Reprisal
  subdual damage
  Insanity Mist #
  Inhaled poison
  1d4 Wis
  2d6 Wis
  2
  14/15
  Malyss root paste #
  Contact poison
  1 Dex
  2d4 Dex
  2
  14/16
  Oil of Ichorage
  Injury poison—
  Unguent
  1 Str*
  1d8 pts of damage 
  each round for 1d4 
  rounds
  4
  17/18
  Oil of taggit #
  Ingested poison
  0
  Unconsciousness
  1
  12/15
  Ptarl’s Lurking  Menace
  Ingested poison—
  Ingestable
  Nausea (vs. Fort 
  Save at -1 for 1d6 
  rounds
  1d6 pts damage/
  1d4 damage
  3
  16/18
  Ptarl’s Potion of Patient 
  Vengeance
  Ingested poison—
  Ingestable
  Special (see entry in 
  Catalog)
  Special (see entry in 
  catalog)
  6
  22/20
  Royalscar 
  Injury poison—
  Chymical
  Paralysis (vs. Fort 
  save at -4)
  1d2 Con*
  5
  18/18
  Silentscent powder 
  Inhaled poison—
  Powder
  Renders victim mute 
  for  1d3 hours
  Unconsciousness 
  (throat constriction)
  4
  17/18
  Skinfernal powder 
  Contact poison—
  Powder
  1d4 Cha
  2d4 Cha
  3
  16/16
  Striped Toadstool #
  Ingested poison
  1 Wis
  2d6 Wis + 1d4 Int
  1
  10/11
  Terinav Root #
  Contact poison
  1d6 Dex
  2d6 Dex
  2
  14/16
  Throatsprout Mist
  Inhaled poison—
  Erlcana
  Nausea for 1d4 
  rounds; 1d3 Con
  Unconsciousness 
  and 2d4 Con
  3
  16/20
  *First DC is DC to create, Second is to Resist
  Chapter 7
  
  69
  effects if the Alkahest hits armor ﬁrst (most likely 
  destroying the armor or rendering it useless at 
  the point of impact). 
  • 
  Undead organic materials have truly spectacular 
  reactions to the Alkahest—the solvent treats 
  them as inorganic matter and crystallizes them, 
  but the necromancy that animates the undead 
  becomes unstable as a result and undead (all 
  those within the splash radius) suffer double the 
  damage taken by living creatures above.
  Like the Acid of Zarias, the Alkahest does not affect 
  glass, and is thus bottled in thick green glass at all times 
  (and in fact has to be created using only glass implements 
  and bowls). The formulae for making it produces a little 
  over a half-gallon of the Alkahest, but it is never sold 
  in those amounts. It is packaged and sold in 10 6-ounce 
  ﬂasks, which are shaped like elongated teardrops but 
  ﬂattened so they can stand on their own. 
  The alchemist Zarias created his greatest work—the 
  Alkahest—just before his death, and the formula remained 
  hidden for decades until one of his own students plundered 
  his hidden cache of alchemical secrets. The Alkahest was 
  intended to make it easier to work with materials in an 
  alchemical laboratory, but an unscrupulous apprentice 
  sold two bottles to outsiders and the alchana has since 
  been abused as a solvent and “acid” (labeled such by those 
  who don’t know any better) against all manner of beings 
  and materials. It is, luckily, too expensive to create batches 
  large enough for use in siege engines. A few churches, 
  however, have taken to producing this expensive liquid as 
  a potent weapon against the undead. It is also purchased 
  by swordsmiths and others for masterwork items, as the 
  Alkahest breaks down metals so the impurities can be 
  worked out and the perfected metals reforged.
  Strong transmutation; CL 12th; Create Alchana; DC: 
  26; Price: 3,000 gp/ﬂask
  Aqua Clarissima [Chymical; Special]
  Aqua clarissima is a chymical in the alchemist’s laboratory, 
  used as the base for potions and substances with a curative 
  effect. On its own, a ﬂask can be imbibed to enhance active 
  healing—if a character drinks this prior to (but in the same 
  round as) any magical healing, aqua clarissima adds a +1 
  to each die of magical healing. 
  Aqua clarissima can be identiﬁed by any alchemist by 
  smell or sight (DC 10), as it smells of violets and has a 
  translucent light blue color.
  Faint conjuration; CL 2nd; At least one rank in Craft 
  (Alchemy); DC: 14; Price: 25 gp/8 oz. ﬂask
  Aqua Fortis [Chymical; Special]
  Aqua fortis ﬁnds use primarily as a base liquid for charisma, 
  as well as mind-affecting potions and unguents. It can also 
  be used as an antidote against active mind attacks and fear 
  effects—drinking it provides an immediate Will save with 
  a +3 circumstance bonus.
  Alchemists identify (DC 10) aqua fortis by its olive 
  scent or the oily reﬂective sheen that rises to the top when 
  it’s poured. 
  Faint enchantment; CL 2nd; At least one rank in Craft 
  (Alchemy); DC: 14; Price: 25 gp/8 oz. ﬂask
  Aqua Lacrima [Chymical; Special]
  The “water of tears” is another base from which alchemists 
  create many potions and other items. Like aqua fortis, 
  aqua lacrima can be used as an antidote against emotional 
  attacks, charms, and enchantments—the very magics 
  which this liquid preserves and stores as potions. Drinking 
  aqua lacrima provides an immediate Will save with a +3 
  circumstance bonus. 
  Alchemists recognize (DC 8) aqua lacrima by its pink 
  translucence, its scent of soured grapes and chalk, and its 
  low evaporation point—it actually begins to turn to a light 
  pink mist immediately upon exposure to sunlight (though 
  it takes nearly an hour for all 8 ounces to dissolve into 
  vapor), which is why it is often stored in opaque bottles. 
  Faint enchantment; CL 2nd; At least one rank in Craft 
  (Alchemy); DC: 15; Price: 25 gp/8 oz. ﬂask
  Aqua Metallorum [Chymical; Special]
  Aqua metallorum is the primary base for high-end 
  alchemical creations such as elixirs, and has a part to play 
  in making both Emerald Tablets and Alchana Stones. Its 
  abilities and uses are not transmittable by ingestion, and 
  drinking aqua metallorum is akin to drinking a low-level 
  poison (DC 13; save or suffer 1d3 points of damage and 
  nausea for 1d6 rounds). Even with a successful save, those 
  foolish enough to drink this liquid suffer a -2 circumstance 
  modiﬁer to all Reﬂex saves for the following 24 hours. If 
  used as an unguent or metal polish, however (as some 
  blacksmiths or ﬁnesmiths do), it removes many visible 
  ﬂaws, enhances the natural color and texture of the 
  metal, and adds a bright sheen (no evident game effects 
  beyond impressing people with mirror-bright armor and 
  weapons). Thus, its most common game use has been as a 
  polish for masterwork metal items. 
  Aqua metallorum is the most easily identiﬁed of 
  alchemical aquas—it has the same silvery sheen as mercury. 
  It is also the most difﬁcult base to create, and successfully 
  Table 20:  Alchemortar Table
  Alchemortar Type
  CL
  DC
  Market Price
  Cost to Create
  I/Yieldstone
  4
  16
  2,000 gp/10 pounds
  300 gp/3 pounds
  II/Dragonscale
  2
  12
  1,000 gp/10 pounds
  150 gp/3 pounds
  III/Dragons’ Tongue
  3
  14
  1,500 gp/10 pounds
  225 gp/3 pounds
  IV/Flowstone
  6
  19
  3,000 gp/10 pounds
  450 gp/3 pounds
  V/Bonemortar
  3
  15
  1,500 gp/10 pounds
  225 gp/3 pounds
  VI/Spellmortar
  5
  18
  3,000 gp/10 pounds
  375 gp/3 pounds
  VII/Snuffwall
  2
  12
  300 gp/3 pounds
  150 gp/3 pounds
  VIII/Strongwall
  4
  15
  600 gp/3 pounds
  300 gp/3 pounds
  Catalog Herbala
  
  70
  creating aqua metallorum is when most masters consider 
  an apprentice to have gained some true understanding 
  of alchemy (and allow said apprentice to graduate out of 
  making bases and polishes and commonplace items).
  No aura; CL 1st; At least one rank in Craft (Alchemy); 
  DC: 20; Price: 50 gp/quart
  Aqua Permanens [Chymical; Special]
  Aqua permanens is one of the more important chymicals 
  in an alchemists’ laboratory—it is a sealant, locking in the 
  effects and special natures of all the miscible substances 
  in most creations. While it has no use as an ingestible, 
  applying this liquid topically to any wounds will cause 
  them to instantly seal, thus preventing the person from 
  bleeding to death. Using aqua permanens in this way, 
  however, leaves a permanent scar (dark and slightly 
  metallic, like lead under the skin), even if the wound is 
  magically healed later. The person, while not losing real 
  hit points, does suffer 1d4 points of subdual damage from 
  the liquid’s contact with the bloodstream.
  Aqua permanens is easily spotted—it is a dark green 
  liquid with a cloudy suspension of liquid metal (appearing 
  like aqua metallorum) within it—though it has no scent 
  whatsoever. Some people deliberately use the scarring 
  effect—they carve a pattern in the ﬂesh and pour an ounce 
  per six-inch square of open wound to sear in a tattoo with 
  a slight metallic sheen to its lines. (While some might 
  actively choose to tattoo themselves this way, it’s most 
  often used by slavers to mark “new acquisitions.”) 
  No aura; CL 4th; At least one rank in Craft (Alchemy); 
  DC: 18; Market Price: 15 gp/2 oz. ﬂask
  Aqua Regia [Chymical; Special]
  Within the d20 game context, aqua regia is an odd creation 
  that allows near-instant and thorough cleansing of any 
  matter—organic or inorganic—it touches, removing 
  all light soils and grime (though it will not clear away 
  extraneous rock from pure ores). Thus, it is useful for 
  cleaning recently discovered artifacts of the dust and 
  grime of ages, cleansing clothes or skin of acids or other 
  topicals, or simply allowing one to go from unclean rabble 
  to “royal” look instantly (hence its name). Used in a game, 
  aqua regia’s best effect is allowing a chance to clean away 
  any unguent or topical within the same round (often 
  canceling the need for the second saving throw of a poison 
  or toxin, if removed quickly enough). 
  Aqua regia has a scent very similar to aqua clarissima, 
  and could be mistaken as such if not for its translucent 
  purple hue (DC 12 for alchemists’ identiﬁcation) or the 
  easily missed scent of lilacs beneath the smell of violets.
  No aura; CL 1st; At least one rank in Craft (Alchemy); 
  DC: 11; Price: 12 gp/8 oz. ﬂask
  Aqua Vitae [Chymical; Special]
  Aqua vitae is the chymical base from which most magical 
  potions and alchemical ingestibles spring. Imbibing this 
  aqua by itself has no more effect than drinking wine. One 
  use of aqua vitae never intended by its alchemical creators 
  (and initially realized in desperation and then passed on 
  by word of mouth among adventurers) is this—if you 
  pour a handful of powdered limestone into a ﬂask of aqua 
  vitae, it can be thrown within the next two rounds for the 
  same effects and damage as a thunderstone (although it 
  has the range of throwing an acid ﬂask). If the ﬂask is not 
  Chapter 7
  
  71
  thrown within two rounds, the bottle explodes for the 
  same effect wherever it rests.
  As it is partially unrectiﬁed alcohol, aqua vitae is an 
  expensive, albeit oddly tasty, drink among alchemists 
  and their apprentices. They say it tastes like a moderately 
  tart aged white wine if cooled to cellar temperatures or 
  colder. 
  No aura; CL 2nd; At least one rank in Craft (Alchemy); 
  DC: 14; Price: 35 gp/8 oz. ﬂask
  Atheists’ Paste [Unguent/Toxin; Special]
  Atheists’ paste is an unguent that only becomes toxic 
  when exposed to divine spells and magical energies. 
  This toxin is a two-stage poison. First, it is a basic contact 
  poison which causes blindness and nausea for 1d4 rounds 
  (unless a Fortitude save is made against a DC of 17). The 
  secondary effect only activates if the paste comes in contact 
  with divine magical energies—it evaporates into a cloud 
  of toxic vapor in a 20-foot radius from the point of origin, 
  and this gas inﬂicts 1d4 points of damage 
  per round to any within this cloud. The gas 
  dissipates in 1d12 rounds. 
  Atheists’ paste comes in a wide-
  mouthed black ceramic jar (the applicator 
  is a ﬂexible wooden wand afﬁxed to the 
  underside of the jar’s lid), and appears as a 
  thick cloudy unguent. This jar holds about 
  one cup of paste, enough to coat a four-
  foot-square surface or a medium-sized item 
  or weapon. It becomes transparent as it is 
  spread out, so it takes a Spot check (DC 13) 
  to notice the dull sheen before its effects 
  become obvious. 
  Alchemists created this toxin centuries 
  ago to help commoners strike back at an 
  evil temple and priesthood that dominated 
  their lands, coating the altars and doors of 
  the temples with the paste to temporarily 
  blind the evil priests and allow people the 
  chance to overcome their corrupt 
  religion. Now, unfortunately, 
  it is used by assassins hired by 
  rival churches to poison each 
  others’ clergy. 
  Faint magic; CL 4th; Create 
  Toxins, detect magic; DC: 18; 
  Price: 5,000 gp
  Bag of Herbal Harvesting  
  [(Erlcana) Wondrous 
  Item; Magical]
  This variant of a bag of holding 
  (type 2) appears to be a common 
  hemp sack about 3 feet square, 
  and like a bag of holding it opens 
  into an extradimensional space 
  and holds much more than its 
  external appearance indicates. Its 
  special nature comes in its ability 
  to separate up to a dozen different 
  types of plants into separate 
  dimensional pockets, avoiding 
  any 
  cross-contamination 
  of 
  herbal substances. It also keeps 
  the harvested plants within it in 
  a kind of stasis, and they can remain in the bag for up to 21 
  days without any ill effects. Once removed from the bag, 
  any herbs are considered freshly harvested. The herbal 
  knowledge that was added to the item creation process 
  allows the plants to survive and bypass the usual penalties 
  caused by magical storage. 
  In all other ways, the bag of herbal harvesting acts like 
  the bag of holding. Thus, pulling out the particular type 
  of plant is a move-equivalent action, though a person 
  can choose to remove one sample or all samples of that 
  particular type. 
  Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; At least on rank in 
  Profession (Apothecary or Herbalist), Craft Wondrous 
  Item; DC: —; Price: 4,000 gp
  Bladeblack [Chymical; Special]
  Also called weaponblack or armorcloak, bladeblack is 
  a thick, gummy, oily suspension that can be smeared 
  across the surface of weapons and armor to coat them 
  Table 21: Unguents
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Item
  01-08
  01-14
  Atheists’ Paste
  01-20
  09-17
  Denharil’s Oil
  18-27
  15-30
  Jharul’s Liniment of Noncorruption
  28-36
  Maxar’s Antiseptic Ointment
  37-45
  31-46
  Maxar’s Fangliniment
  46-54
  47-60
  N’Kinnym’s Bone Balms
  55-65
  Oil of Ichorage
  21-40
  66-72
  Oil of Suppleather
  61-75
  Polish of Vigor
  73-79
  76-88
  Raynam’s Mirror Paste
  80-84
  89-00
  Saragun’s Blackout Oil
  85-89
  Satrian’s Wildernessalve
  41-60
  Tarasta’s Viscent
  90-93
  Termite Paste
  61-80
  94-00
  Tragar’s Lotion
  81-00
  Zarias’ Paste
  Table 22: Miscellaneous Wondrous Items
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Item
  01-25
  Bag of Herbal Harvesting
  01-50
  Chartan’s Mysticswathe
  26-50
  Heating Plates
  01-20
  Laasic’s Athanor
  21-40
  Lash of Saumar
  41-60
  Loyal’s Feedbag
  51-75
  Saragun’s Potion Pendant
  51-00
  Saragun’s Temperant Bottle
  61-80
  Swatharness (Defenswathe)
  81-00
  Swathold
  76-00
  Teas of the Emperor
  Catalog Herbala
  
  72
  with a matte-black ﬁnish (rather than letting the metal 
  weapon glint in the light). This dull coating provides 
  a +10 circumstance bonus to Hide checks (or -10 vs. 
  Spot checks in darkness or shadow). Each vial comes 
  with a small brush attached to the top and contains 
  enough bladeblack to coat one suit of armor (1d2 
  times) or a long sword (2d4 times). After drying, 
  bladeblack can ﬂake off as the weapon is used or 
  simply peel off after 2d6 hours.
  No aura; CL 1st; At least one rank in Craft 
  (Alchemy); DC: 12; Price: 6 gp/4 oz. vial
  Bloodiron [Alchana; Special]
  Bloodiron is an alloyed mixture of normal iron and 
  numerous chymicals molded into bars for later 
  weapons-forging. When a bloodiron weapon is 
  used against a creature keyed as its blood-foe, the 
  weapon inﬂicts 1 additional point of damage due 
  to acidic burns in the wounds. (This damage is not 
  multiplied by critical hits.) In addition, any points of 
  damage inﬂicted by this alchemical bonus can only be 
  healed by natural rest. For example, a bloodiron dagger 
  will inﬂict 1d4+1 points of damage against monstrous 
  humanoids (anything from centaurs to yuan-ti) and reduce 
  the target’s hit point total by one with each successful hit. 
  Only time spent resting (not magical healing) can restore 
  these lost hit points.
  While it appears to be normal iron when set in bars, 
  it is after forging and tempering in a related alchemical 
  mixture that bloodiron takes on its namesake ruddy hue. 
  All bloodiron is prepared in special batches and combined 
  with various materials (blood, bone, and other secretions 
  and remnants from the designated target type) to tie 
  its effects to a particular type of creature, marking it as 
  the blood-foe of this weapon. Just using the bloodiron 
  or the chymicals as temperants and cooling baths is not 
  enough—both must be used in the forging process to 
  obtain the results noted above. This process usually creates 
  enough bloodiron that an alchemist can forge more than 
  one weapon from each batch, but check the weight of the 
  weapon against the amounts created—a spiked chain or 
  a dwarven urgosh made of bloodiron will cost twice as 
  much, since it uses an entire batch of bloodiron to cast!
  Bloodiron is expensive but treasured by rangers (whose 
  favored enemies now have even more reason to fear them) 
  or folk plagued regularly by particular types of monsters. 
  After all, if your garrison’s job is to 
  defend the pass from the annual orc 
  horde out of the higher mountains, 
  having bloodiron weapons to use 
  against them is crucial.
  Moderate evocation; CL 8th; 
  Profession (Weaponsmith), Create 
  Alchana; DC: 25; Market Price: 
  10,000 gp + cost of weapon
  Bloodiron Weapons
  While it’s certainly possible to ﬁnd 
  or buy ingots of bloodiron with 
  their barrels of temperants, it is 
  more likely that a treasure hoard 
  will hold a bloodiron weapon. 
  Roll percentile dice twice on the 
  table below to determine which 
  bloodiron weapons are found and which creatures they 
  were forged to kill.
  • 
  Weapon Types: This is the largest type of melee 
  weapon from which you can choose your items 
  off the Weapons Table (Table 7-5 from Chapter 
  7 of the Player’s Handbook). For example, a 73 
  allows you to choose from a Tiny weapon up to 
  a Medium-sized Martial melee weapon—you 
  can make the bloodiron weapon anything from 
  a spiked gauntlet to a warhammer.
  • Blooded Foe: Any creature whose monster 
  description matches this type is vulnerable to 
  the alchemical damage of a bloodiron weapon. 
  Only those creatures who do not exist physically 
  on the same plane (i.e. ethereal) as the weapon 
  wielder are safe.
  Bloodiron Armor
  While not mentioned or tabulated above, 
  bloodiron (and the more advanced bloodsteels) 
  can be used to forge armor as well. In all ways, it 
  works as normal metal armor, but its blooded foes 
  incur 1 point of damage (no save) each time they come 
  into direct contact with the armor or shield made from the 
  keyed bloodiron. The problem in forging bloodiron armor 
  is the cost—remember to double the market price if the 
  armor to be forged weighs more than seven pounds!
  Bloodsteel [Alchana; Special]
  Bloodsteel is bloodiron (see above) reforged and reﬁned 
  alchemically a second and third time to remove ferrous 
  impurities and add in additional chymicals. In all ways 
  but those noted below (including randomly generating 
  bloodsteel items on the table above), bloodsteel should be 
  viewed the same as bloodiron.
  • 
  Bloodsteel weapons inﬂict 2 points of alchemical 
  damage with each successful hit, and this damage 
  can only be healed naturally (not through use of 
  magic).
  • 
  Bloodsteel weapons effect a subtype of creature 
  rather than a whole broad category. Thus, after 
  rolling for Blooded Foes, restrict the type to 
  a subtype—evil outsiders or reptilians or ﬁre 
  creatures or aquatic creatures or dragons of one 
  color (and their related kin, half-dragons).
  Table 23: Bloodiron Items
  % chance
  Weapon Types
  % chance
  Blooded Foes
  01-20
  Simple/Small
  01-20
  Monstrous Humanoids
  21-40
  Simple/Medium
  21-35
  Goblinoids
  41-60
  Simple/Large
  41-55
  Undead
  61-70
  Martial/Small
  56-70
  Giants
  71-80
  Martial/Medium
  71-78
  Magical Beasts
  81-90
  Martial/Large
  79-86
  Shapechangers
  91-95
  Exotic/Small
  86-90
  Dragons
  96-98
  Exotic/Medium
  91-94
  Plants
  99-00
  Exotic/Large
  95-97
  Outsiders
  98-99
  Aberrations
  00
  Elementals
  Chapter 7
  
  73
  Moderate evocation; CL 9th; Profession (Weaponsmith), 
  Create Alchana; DC: 27; Market Price: 12,000 gp + cost of 
  weapon
  Bloodsteel, Greater [Alchana; Special]
  Greater bloodsteel is bloodsteel (see above) reﬁned to such 
  an extreme degree that its effects are tied to one particular 
  type of monster or species or race. In all ways but those 
  noted below (including randomly generating items on 
  the table above), greater bloodsteel should be viewed the 
  same as bloodiron.
  • 
  Greater bloodsteel weapons inﬂict 3 points of 
  alchemical damage with each successful hit, and 
  this damage can only be healed naturally (not 
  through use of magic).
  • 
  Greater bloodsteel weapons effect only a single 
  race of creature—ettins instead of giants, red 
  dragons instead of just chromatic dragons, pit 
  ﬁends instead of just evil outsiders, etc. 
  • 
  If used against a character race (human, elf, 
  dwarf, etc.), greater bloodsteel weapons incur 
  their effects on particular bloodlines (i.e. a hated 
  foe and his relatives), not the entire race. 
  Moderate evocation; CL 9th; Profession (Weaponsmith), 
  Create Alchana; DC: 27; Market Price: 15,000 gp + cost of 
  weapon
  Chartan’s Mysticswathe  
  [Erlcana, Greater/Wondrous Item; Magical]
  Chartan’s Mysticswathe is the ultimate in protective 
  accoutrements for any and all spellcasters, even though 
  most of its powers and abilities link to druidic magics. Its 
  most common conﬁguration is a metallic rose bramble 
  across the arms and shoulders, with heavy wrist bracers 
  of metallic vines and briars, though some prefer to wear 
  its vines and shimmering rosebuds on one arm, like 
  gladiator’s armor. Regardless of its appearance, its powers 
  and beneﬁts remain the same:
  • 
  It projects a permanent mage armor and barkskin 
  while worn, lending its wearer two stacking AC 
  bonuses of +4 (magical) and +3 (natural) as long 
  as no other mundane or magical armors are worn 
  or carried;
  • 
  Chartan’s Mysticswathe shares a permanent resist 
  energy (ﬁre) effect with its wearer; 
  • 
  The bearer and the Mysticswathe together are 
  immune to the effects of entangle spells and also 
  move under the effects of pass without trace at all 
  times;
  • 
  If the bearer wields a wooden club or quarterstaff, 
  it adds a shillelagh effect onto said weapon while 
  the Mysticswathe is in contact with bearer and 
  weapon alike; 
  • 
  The bearer can utilize speak with plants once per 
  day; and
  • 
  The mysticswathe can separate from its wearer to 
  become a wall of thorns (as if cast by a 10th-level 
  spellcaster) for the normal duration of the spell, 
  after which the mysticswathe must be retrieved 
  manually by its owner.
  Chartan’s Mysticswathe is a swathe enchanted with the 
  spell-like abilities above, which is why its creation is limited 
  to those who understand swathes as well as wondrous 
  items. While it is a natural item and not clothing of any 
  sort, it should be considered a magical robe or vestment in 
  terms of limits on worn magical items. 
  Strong conjuration; CL 19th; Grow Swathe, Craft 
  Wondrous Item, mage armor, resist elements, shillelagh, 
  speak with plants; DC: 38 (create and enspell swathe); Price: 
  120,000 gp
  Chymissiles [Alchana; Special]
  Chymissiles are missile weapons containing alchemical 
  substances. They come in a few limited varieties but a 
  wide range of effects (for GMs to expand upon later). In 
  short, these sling bullets and arrows unleash an alchemical 
  substance—powders or liquids, usually—upon impact, 
  instead of or in addition to their weapon damage. Given 
  their broad range of effects and their variable forms, 
  they are listed among Alchana instead of the other two 
  categories. Chymissiles can be any of the following:
  Catalog Herbala
  
  74
  • 
  Sling bullets made of glass tough enough to 
  survive normal carrying but which shatter when 
  ﬂung from a sling or dropped from a height 
  greater than 10 feet;
  • 
  Powders compressed into chalk-like tablets (and 
  paper-wrapped until deployed) that explode 
  with a slight cloud of dust upon impact from a 
  sling (or simply rolling it underfoot and allowing 
  it to be stepped on for more limited effects);
  • 
  Glass “bottle-bolts” that replace the normal 
  arrow (or crossbow bolt)—part of the shaft is a 
  chymical-ﬁlled glass vial, balanced to ﬂy almost 
  like a standard arrow (reduce range increments 
  by 20 feet) but deliver the payload of the chymical 
  and its effects instead of arrow damage; and
  • 
  Chyra’s Fork arrows—specially-made metal 
  arrows that allow a powder to be compacted 
  between the two metal ﬂukes so it can deal 
  damage (1d4) as well as the chymical or powder 
  (perhaps even an injury-delivered poison or 
  chymical). Chyra’s Fork arrows are the most 
  useful form of chymissile, as the central chymical 
  payload can be replaced and the arrow reused 
  (assuming the shaft and ﬂukes were not damaged 
  by use).
  Assuming that the chymical in question can be 
  contained within a glass bead or the powder 
  compacted into a chalky tablet, any chymicals or 
  powders that do not need to be ingested are 
  usable in Chymissiles. If a chymical requires 
  more than one ounce to elicit effects, it 
  cannot be used for chymissiles. Assume 
  the grenade-like weapons’ splash effect 
  may occur with liquid chymissiles, but 
  reduce the splash radius to 2 feet, not 5 
  feet.
  No aura; CL As per chymical or 
  powder; Profession (Fletcher or Glazier); 
  DC: 15; Market Price: Cost of chymical/
  powder + 1 gp/sling bullet or bottle-bolt, 2 gp/
  Chyra’s Fork arrow
  Chyra’s Philter [Ingestible; Special]
  Chyra’s Philter is an herbal and alchemical mixture that 
  enhances a person’s Charisma but only among her own 
  race. Each dose (3 drops) provides a +2 circumstance 
  bonus to Charisma for one hour, but only for reaction and 
  role-playing purposes (not a sorcerer’s spell abilities). If 
  used in conjunction with enchantments or other emotion-
  affecting spells, any victims of the imbiber’s race make 
  their saves at a -2 penalty due to the pheremonic effects 
  of the philter.
  Faint enchantment; CL 3rd; Prerequisites: Brew 
  Ingestible or Brew Potion; DC: 17; Price: 500 gp/ ¼ oz. 
  vial (12 drops)
  Chyra’s Polish [Alchana; Special]
  Chyra’s Polish is a thick white chymical paste that quickly 
  darkens to purple, then blue, then black as it interacts 
  with any metals upon which it is placed. Assuming an 
  item has not lost more than half of its total hit points, 
  Chyra’s polish can restore up to 3 material hit points 
  by alchemically restoring and rebonding the metals. By 
  spreading it onto the metal and leaving it undisturbed, 
  the polish transforms any lost hit points (and damage by 
  microfractures and imperfections in the weapon or armor) 
  into subdual damage and slowly repairs the weapon at 
  the rate of one an hour. 
  Chyra’s Polish comes in a tooled-leather bag from 
  which the polish can be squeezed onto the metal to 
  be treated, and the empty pouch is helpful in evenly 
  spreading the polish. While it is very expensive, it is used 
  by adventurers out in the ﬁeld or those who live too far 
  from a blacksmith to easily get metal implements ﬁxed or 
  reforged. One ounce of Chyra’s Polish is enough to coat a 
  long sword or a metal plow.
  No aura; CL 4th; Craft Unguent, Create Alchana; DC: 
  17; Price: 3,000 gp/ounce
  Cleansing Crystal Dust [Powder; Special]
  This orange dust crystallizes on contact with any and all 
  topical substances (unguents, polishes, etc.) and helps 
  negate their effects. Sold in an egg-shaped bottle with a 
  blow-tube on top, the user blows through the tube to emit 
  “crysdust” in a spray wide enough to cover an average 
  human. The dust causes all external liquids or solvents 
  to be absorbed into a growing crust of powder (changing 
  from orange to white) that can be ﬂaked or broken 
  away immediately. This will help someone covered in 
  black dragon spittle, green slime, or some other topical 
  solution (from disease-riddled brackish water 
  to alchemist’s ﬁre). This effect provides 
  an additional saving throw of any kind 
  against the effects of whatever topical 
  substance is covering the person or 
  object. Alternately, if the Caster Level 
  of the harmful substance is less than 
  CL5, this dust immediately negates its 
  effects. 
  No aura; CL 5th; Craft Powders & 
  Dusts; DC: 20; Price: 500 gp/1 oz. dust 
  bottle
  Clotheswathe (Generic)  
  [Swathe/Erlcana; Special]
  The so-called lesser swathes, clotheswathes are living 
  plants fused to leather gloves or other articles of clothing 
  to provide additional qualities to the wearer without 
  the aid of magic. No command words or castings are 
  required—each active ability has an appropriate activation 
  mechanism (like throwing a beltswathe to activate its gifts). 
  They also may have passive powers which operate at all 
  times or only as needed (and times of need are reﬂexively 
  noticed by the living plants of the swathe).
  While the items that become clotheswathes do not 
  have to be masterwork-level items, they also cannot be 
  rags and remnants. The costs for a clotheswathe include 
  the raw materials and preparatory liquids and processes 
  to grow the graft, as well as the costs for preparing and 
  treating the clothing both before and during the grafting 
  process. Also, all clotheswathes must make special checks 
  versus ﬁre and acid—if they ever incur more than 8 points 
  of such damage in a round, they must make a Fortitude 
  save (DC 12) or be destroyed.
  No aura; CL Variable; Grow Swathe; DC: Variable; 
  Price: Variable
  Beltswathe: A beltswathe is a leathern belt infused 
  with briars, brambles, and thick vines that nevertheless 
  don’t block the wearer’s access to belt pouches or sword 
  scabbards. Its primary ability is a one-shot use—it can be 
  Chapter 7
  
  75
  thrown onto the ground and the swathe comes to life off 
  the belt to instigate an entangle effect, as per the spell but 
  with only a 15-foot radius from the beltswathe’s point of 
  impact. After this one use, the leathern belt remains but 
  the swathe stays planted in the ground.
  Faint transmutation; CL 3rd; As above + entangle; DC: 
  17; Price: 200 gp
  Ivyswathe Gloves: These thin kid-leather gloves have 
  both stitching and living ivy plants covering their entire 
  surfaces. They do not interfere with other magical items 
  or with wielding other items by hand, and only activate 
  when used in climbing (grabbing at small handholds, 
  putting weight onto ﬁngertips, etc.). The ivies extend 
  a bit off the ﬁngers to help grip surfaces and provide a 
  +10 circumstance bonus to Climbing checks while worn. 
  In emergencies, the gloves can also mimic a spider climb 
  effect for one round once per day (this power usually only 
  kicks in if a person claps her hands or is falling or sliding 
  off a cliff or sheer surface). These gloves can be used for 
  up to 15 minutes per day before overtaxing the swathe’s 
  abilities (after which the gloves no longer work for the rest 
  of the day).
  Faint transmutation; CL 4th; DC: 18; Price: 300 gp
  Thornswathe Gauntlets: Briars and a bramble of 
  thorns nestle on these hard leather combination bracer-
  and-gloves. To engage the thorns, the wearer must slam 
  the gauntlet on a hard surface while wielding the chosen 
  weapon (like a thirsty patron slamming a tankard down on 
  a tavern’s table) or just slap his gloved hand down, palm 
  open. This causes the thorns and briars to wrap around 
  the hand and ﬁngers (and tangle along the length of any 
  weapon of less than 10 feet in length). When engaged, the 
  brambles add an additional 1d4 points of piercing damage 
  to either melee weapons combat or unarmed melee 
  combat (wrapping around the gloved hand like thorny 
  brass knuckles).
  No aura; CL 6th; DC: 21; Price: 350
  Wildswathe Boots: These vine-bound boots come up 
  to the knee and have roots and leaves over all areas of the 
  boots, including the soles. These boots provide the druid’s 
  Woodland Stride ability at all times. If the wearer clicks 
  her heels together, she also operates with Trackless Step 
  for the next hour (this active power can be used once per 
  day).
  Faint transmutation; CL 4th; DC: 20;  Price: 325 gp
  Cocoon Swathes [Erlcana, Greater; Special]
  These greater swathes are considered some of the highest 
  herbalist achievements in the past seven centuries. Like all 
  swathes, cocoon swathes are a jumble of living, partially 
  animate plants that move and react as a single organism. 
  If at rest, a cocoon swathe is a tight ovular bundle of roots, 
  vines and leaves with fruit in its center. The smallest a 
  cocoon can compress itself is two feet long and one foot 
  in diameter, and it can carry itself (when awake) like any 
  other swathe (i.e. however it wants to drape itself over a 
  ﬁgure). The difference between cocoon swathes and the 
  lesser swathes is this—in action, a cocoon swathe wraps 
  itself entirely around a subject and creates a living plant 
  cocoon to bestow effects on the subject within. The cocoons 
  are as protective of their charges as a mother bear is of 
  her cubs, and they never relinquish a person from their 
  embrace until their task is fulﬁlled. This leads to confusion 
  when people encounter a wild cocoon swathe—it merely 
  wants to help but its aggressively protective nature makes 
  it more fearsome than some herbalists realize.
  Cocoon swathes envelop a person or creature and seal 
  themselves around him or her. As this entire structure is 
  a plant, there is no worry about a lack of air—the cocoon 
  generates fresh air along with its other effects. Two of the 
  three known cocoons actually ﬁll with an aerated plant 
  gel that allows free breathing even though it is through 
  a viscous gel medium. Outside of the cocoon, the only 
  recognition a cocoon swathe gives its surroundings is to 
  move itself and its charge out of harm’s way (sometimes 
  using its own vines to clamber high up into a tree for 
  safety). 
  • 
  Disturbing or breaking open a cocoon swathe is 
  difﬁcult at best. Its external shell is harder than a 
  strong wooden door (Hardness 6, 24 hit points, 
  Break DC 26), so it is as difﬁcult to break out 
  from within as it is to break in from outside.
  • 
  Cocoon swathes can envelop and contain one 
  creature no taller than 90 inches tall or two 
  creatures shorter than 40 inches each. 
  • 
  If propelling themselves by their own vines or 
  other methods of mobility, cocoon swathes move 
  at half the speed of a halﬂing, and half again as 
  slow if carrying a subject inside.
  • 
  Cocoon swathes have rudimentary sentience 
  (Int 4, Wis 9, Cha 5) and can be reasoned with. 
  Interacting with a cocoon swathe requires the 
  ability to speak with plants, and even then talking 
  to a cocoon swathe is difﬁcult (Imagine the most 
  focused doctor or scientist grappling with a 
  problem, and that’s how a cocoon will react if 
  anyone tries to interrupt its appointed task).
  The three known types of cocoon swathe are below, 
  each with their abilities and costs.
  In essence, herbalists have created and taught swathes 
  to be semi-independent and semi-sentient, but then 
  they’ve programmed them to perform tasks that could 
  not be done quickly enough by a normal herbalist or to 
  act in concert with them. Still, no matter how advanced 
  or able the swathes get, they are still plants at heart. 
  Cocoons will consume dead animals and dead bodies for 
  fertilizer, breaking their tissues and anything they can 
  through quick decomposition methods to consume for 
  food. A cocoon swathe cannot go for more than 4 days 
  without some level of sunlight, so it cannot survive on 
  long underground adventures (though a GM could design 
  fungal-based swathes and erlcana for campaigns in just 
  such subterranean settings). 
  No aura; CL Variable; Grow Swathe; DC: Variable; 
  Price: Variable
  Cocoon Swathe of Greengifting
  This is the rarest cocoon swathe, and for good reason—its 
  sole purpose is to bestow the Greengift onto animals and 
  people and make them kin o’ the green. While not exactly 
  the same, the aerated gel within this cocoon mimics the 
  effects of an Erlixir of Greengift, with three differences:
  • 
  Within moments of having it close around them, 
  subjects of this cocoon must make a Fortitude 
  save at a cumulative -1 per round vs. a DC 17 
  sleep effect (so eventually a person inside this 
  cocoon either breaks out or falls asleep);
  • 
  Regardless of the subject’s knowledge or saving 
  throws, the cocoon swathe aids the transition 
  from animal to half-plant and guides the body 
  past the potential death and into plant life while 
  he or she sleeps; and 
  Catalog Herbala
  
  76
  • 
  Instead of taking 1d6 days for the initial effects 
  and many more days beyond that to manifest 
  into the ﬁrst stage, the cocoon swathe remains 
  around its sleeping target for 12d12 hours, 
  providing all of its nourishment and protection. 
  At the end of this time, the cocoon opens and the 
  subject emerges as a ﬁrst stage kin o’ the green.
  No aura; CL 16th; As above + Create Erlcana; DC: 34; 
  Price: 100,000 gp
  Cocoon Swathe of Healing
  Referred to by some as “natural inﬁrmaries,” these healing 
  cocoons appear vastly different from most swathes by 
  being all young green vines, grasses, and berries—no 
  leaves, no roots or barks, and no ﬂowers. As the cocoon 
  closes about its patient, the swathe shoots out tendrils and 
  vines to draw itself up into treetops or out of sight to effect 
  its healing in relative peace.
  • 
  The cocoon can administer any herbal restorative 
  in this book to its patient, though no more than 
  one every other round. The cocoon instinctively 
  knows what kinds of healing any “guest” needs. 
  The minimum amount of time a healing cocoon 
  remains around a subject is 15 minutes, though 
  there is no maximum time limit to how long it 
  wishes to heal a patient.
  • 
  The cocoon provides water to rehydrate its 
  enveloped subject and removes any subdual 
  damage at twice the normal rate. Any real 
  damage incurred by lack of water or food is 
  reduced to subdual damage. 
  • 
  Healing cocoons rarely open unless coaxed open 
  by druids or herbalists from the outside or until 
  the patient within has recovered no less than half 
  his hit points.
  • 
  In general, each hour spent inside a cocoon 
  swathe of healing restores 1d6 subdual hit points 
  of damage and 1 real hit point every 3 hours 
  (or better as per its administering of herbal 
  restoratives).
  No aura; CL 15th; DC: 32; Price: 90,000 gp
  Cocoon Swathe of Protection
  This is the simplest of the cocoon swathes, and its purpose 
  is generally to protect innocents or injured bystanders 
  from harm. It wraps around its subject (or multiple smaller 
  subjects) and simply keeps them safe. 
  • 
  Its external defenses are Hardness 7, 30 hp, and 
  break DC 29.
  • 
  It has a +4 Fortitude save, and +1 to both other 
  saves against external attacks.
  • 
  It can lash out with three massive tendrils (each 
  has Improved Grab and deals 1d6 points of 
  damage upon impact) if in melee combat.
  • 
  Subjects inside a protection cocoon cannot 
  cast spells or see outside of the cocoon, as they 
  are assumed to be helpless and in need of the 
  cocoon’s protection. 
  No aura; CL 14th; DC: 30; Price: 80,000 gp
  Chapter 7
  
  77
  Darkvision Dust [Powder; Special]
  Objects or creatures covered with this dust are easily seen 
  using darkvision. Dwarves have long used this powder in 
  traps or in missile weapons to see creatures that usually 
  employ invisibility or are masters in camouﬂage. (Note 
  that target creatures who do not possess darkvision will 
  not realize that they are visible.) This dust is effective 
  when sprayed or sprinkled onto a target, revealing 
  invisible creatures as they are contacted by the dust. It is 
  also common to apply this dust liberally across an area 
  and then dim the lights to watch and see what disturbs the 
  dust (as watching for footprints with darkvision is also a 
  viable tactic.
  No aura; CL 11th; Craft Powders & Dusts, creator must 
  have darkvision; DC: 24; Price: 1,000/4 oz. bag
  Defenswathe (Generic)  
  [Swathe/Erlcana; Special]
  A defenswathe is a small tangle of plants bonded to 
  armor or shields for additional nonmagical beneﬁts to 
  the armor and its user. Defenswathes normally take the 
  appearance of a tangle of tough roots and vines spread 
  across and rooted into the armor’s (or shield’s) surface. A 
  defenswathe adds a +2 to the armor’s hardness rating, a 
  natural armor bonus of +1 to the bearer’s AC, and a +5 
  circumstance bonus to all Hide checks when in wilderness 
  or natural settings. If the defenswathe ever suffers more 
  than 10 hit points worth of ﬁre, acid or cold damage, it is 
  damaged beyond repair and will fall away, returning the 
  armor to its original speciﬁcations.
  Clients can present an herbalist with a suit of armor 
  for grafting—otherwise there is a 75% chance that a suit of 
  leather armor receives the defenswathe, followed by a 15% 
  chance of hide armor, an 8% chance of studded leather, 
  and a 1% chance each of a defenswathe bonded to a chain 
  shirt or scale mail. Defenswathes cannot be bonded or 
  grafted to any armors heavier (or with less leather) than 
  scale mail.
  No aura; CL 5th; Grow Swathe; DC: 20; Price: 500 gp 
  + cost of armor
  Bandoleaves: A bandoleaves is a living bandolier 
  of leaves, vines, and plant ﬁbers wrapping across one 
  shoulder and around the torso, its roots attached to the 
  leather (or heavier) armor over the bearer’s chest. It acts 
  in all ways as a standard defenswathe, though it is more 
  expensive as it also reduces the chance of arcane spell 
  failure by 5%. 
  No aura; CL 6th; DC: 22; Price: 700 gp + cost of armor
  Denharil’s Oil  
  [Unguent/Herbal Restorative; Special]
  Denharil’s Oil is a soothing golden liquid that easily pours 
  out of its ceramic bottle and almost magically spreads itself 
  quickly over living tissues. It coats and seals any breaks in 
  the skin (other than natural oriﬁces) and acts as a general 
  bandage or wound binder to stop all bleeding. Thus, this 
  quick-acting unguent can prevent further hit point loss 
  and is considered an herbal restorative even though it 
  does not provide any hit point restoration.
  No aura; CL 7th; Craft Herbal Restorative or Craft 
  Unguent; DC: 24; Price: 800 gp/bottle
  Denharil’s Doorjamb [Powder; Special]
  Denharil’s Doorjamb, or just “doorjam” after the sticky 
  substance that it creates, is a small wedge-shaped leather 
  pouch totally sewn shut and ﬁlled with an herbal powder 
  and a small glass vial of alchemical aqua. As long as this 
  item is not struck sharply, it is safe to carry. To use it, the 
  doorjamb is placed in the gap between the ﬂoor and the 
  underside of the door. The pouch is kicked sharply so 
  the vial within breaks, turning the powder into a rapidly-
  setting cement that jams the door tightly against its own 
  frame from the bottom up. This renders the portal a “stuck” 
  door, requiring a Strength DC of 20 (simple doors) or 25 
  (good or better doors) to force it open or break it down. 
  This item can also be left within the door’s opening arc, so 
  the act of opening the door activates the doorjamb instead 
  of alerting foes to one’s presence with a kick.
  Obviously, this item works differently than the standard 
  alchemical or herbal powders, but only by its delivery 
  system. This material used to be carried separately, then 
  carefully poured out beneath doors before adding the 
  aqua. This new form has made the item far more popular 
  and useful for rogues, adventurers and spies alike. 
  No aura; CL 2nd; At least one rank in each Craft 
  (Alchemy) and Profession (Herbalist), Craft Powders & 
  Dusts; DC: 13; Price: 400 gp/4 oz. pouch (3-4 oz powder 
  and 1 oz. aqua)
  Dust of Dweomerbaring [Powder; Special]
  If this dust is sprinkled within an area affected by magic, 
  it ﬁzzles, burns away in a lilac-colored and scented 
  ﬂame, and leaves a glowing ash residue behind for up 
  to 3 minutes. It can either be sprinkled minutely and in a 
  controlled manner or thrown haphazardly to cover a 10-
  foot square area. If this is used as part of a detect magic 
  casting, it allows the spellcaster to detect more information 
  in less time—the dust automatically lights up any magical 
  auras within the area of effect and allows the caster to start 
  examining revealed magics as if it were the 3rd round (as 
  per the spell description).
  This granular purple substance is almost rubbery 
  in texture, and it comes in a red porcelain box shaped 
  like a magic circle. If clients request otherwise, it can be 
  packaged in a supplementary glass globe for throwing and 
  shattering (grenade-like splash effects as usual), though 
  few opt for such an uncontrolled method.
  Faint magic; CL 3rd; Craft Powders & Dusts, detect 
  magic; DC: 18; Market Price: 200 gp/oz.
  Elixir of Demihumankind  
  [Alchana/Ingestible; Special]
  An Elixir of Demihumankind instills permanent biological 
  changes in the imbiber, adding one minor special ability 
  and one or more physical characteristics of that race onto 
  the person. Obviously, more races could be possible, 
  but these ﬁve elixirs are the most common and have set 
  effects. Drinking this elixir has no effect if you are already 
  its designated race, and these elixirs do not affect magical 
  beasts, aberrations, or dragons—only the humanoid races. 
  The greatest drawback of these elixirs is their ability to 
  render the imbiber sterile and unable to engender children 
  due to the changes in his or her biology (98% chance).
  Elixir of  
  Racial Abilities Gained
  Dwarvenkind 
  +2 racial bonus to saves vs. either 
  Catalog Herbala
  
  78
   
  poisons or spells, darkvision; height
   
  drops by 2d6 inches; facial hair sprouts 
  Elvenkind 
  Low-light vision and +2 racial bonus
   
  to saves vs. enchantments; weight
   
  drops by 10% and ears elongate out to
   
  slight points aligned with cheekbones.
  Gnomekind 
  Low-light vision and +2 racial bonus on 
   
  Listen and Craft (Alchemy) checks; height 
  drops 
   
  by 3d6 inches; base speed reduced to 20 
  feet.
  Halﬂingkind  
  +1 racial bonus on all saves, +1 Dexterity 
  and
   
  -2 Strength, height drops by 2d8 inches;
  Humankind 
  1 extra feat and four extra skill points 
   
  (as if imbiber were a 1st level human); 
   
  height rises by 1d6 inches but character 
   
  must age as a human
  Orckind 
  +1 Strength and darkvision, -1 Charisma;
   
  lower canine teeth extend to tusks, nose 
   
  ﬂattens to unmistakeable orcish snout.
  Note that any changes to height or weight must be 
  considered for movement rates, potential AC bonuses, or 
  simply the fact that one’s armor won’t ﬁt correctly now.
  Alchemists—especially those schooled in White 
  Alchemy—have long spoken of the similarities and 
  compatibilities among the races, and this elixir seems 
  to prove all races and all life are compatible. Only the 
  cosmetic differences keep us apart. These elixirs (and the 
  alchemists who make them) bring the races and all life 
  closer together. It is, however, up to the GM to determine 
  the role-playing effects of making a character closer to 
  another race. The beneﬁts make these elixirs useful and 
  desirable to many humans, who envy the abilities of the 
  other races. The elixirs can be used offensively as well, 
  mainly in politics—most would-be mayors or sheriffs 
  ﬁnd their popularity waning when they shrink a foot or 
  develop orcish facial features.
  There are rumors about Elixirs of Animalkind which 
  would allow imbibers to become pseudo-lycanthropes—
  gaining massive strength from an Ursine Elixir (bears), 
  for instance. Even so, few reputable alchemists have 
  admitted to the existence of such an elixir, or offered any 
  for sale.
  No aura; CL 17th; Create Alchana, Brew Ingestible or 
  Brew Potion; DC: 38; Price: 25,000 gp
  Elixir of Life [Alchana/Ingestible; Special]
  This is the Ultimate Feat of Creation for White Alchemists—
  it is a potion that afﬁrms and bolsters life wherever it is 
  found. In short, this elixir retards or stops aging. There are 
  three types of the elixir—Impure (reduces the imbiber’s 
  age by 10 years), Reﬁned (halts aging and its effects on the 
  person for 1d100 years), and Pure (renders the imbiber the 
  same age forever, barring grievous injury and other forms 
  of death). While all are generated from the same formulae 
  and could be created by many white alchemists, ethical 
  concerns limit the numbers on the two greater forms of 
  this elixir. To date, only two people have ever created the 
  Pure Elixir of Life (and rumors claim that they are the ones 
  seeking to prevent more immortals from following in their 
  paths). 
  No aura; CL 17th; Create Alchana, Brew Ingestible 
  or Brew Potion; DC: 38 (Impure), 40 (Reﬁned), 42 (Pure); 
  Market Price: 50,000 gp (Impure), 75,000 (Reﬁned), 200,000 
  gp (Pure)
  Elixir of Purity [Alchana/Ingestible; Special]
  This elixir, while less famous than the others, is most 
  beneﬁcial to any and all types of life—it puriﬁes the 
  drinker’s body and imbues it with vitality and life. All 
  of the character’s statistics rise by at least one, while any 
  statistics at 9 or below automatically rise to 10; this is 
  an inherent bonus. This elixir can only be drunk once in 
  any given lifetime (though it could be taken in a second 
  lifetime if a character died and was resurrected via raise 
  dead or resurrection). If a person drinks an elixir of purity 
  twice within one lifetime, his or her body is overtaxed—all 
  statistics are stripped down to their minimums, leaving 
  the person a withered shell barely clinging to life.
  This elixir’s purposes lie within the schools of white 
  alchemy and their quest for the elixir of life. They 
  created this elixir along the way to unlock the potentials 
  biologically hidden inside every being. 
  No aura; CL 17th; Create Alchana, Brew Ingestible or 
  Brew Potion; DC: 35; Price: 50,000 gp
  Emerald Tablet [Alchana; Special]
  Emerald tablets are penultimate creations, because they 
  are a necessary step along the great alchemical quest for 
  the Alchana Stones. An emerald tablet can be used up to 3 
  times per day and its surface ﬂakes away slowly with each 
  use (3d20 charges). It can automatically perform these 
  Table 24: Elixer List
  Elixir
  Charges
  Creation Time (whole) 
  Creation Time (in aqua clarissima)
  Elixir of Dwarvenkind
  1
  1d6 days
  1d6 hours
  Elixir of Elvenkind
  1
  1d6 days
  1d6 hours
  Elixir of Gnomekind
  1
  1d6 days
  1d6 hours
  Elixir of Halﬂingkind
  1
  1d6 days
  1d6 hours
  Elixir of Humankind
  1
  1d6 days
  1d6 hours
  Elixir of Life (Impure)
  3
  1d10 days
  3d10 hours
  Elixir of Life (Reﬁned)
  4
  1d12 days
  4d12 hours
  Elixir of Life (Pure)
  5
  1d20 days
  5d20 hours
  Elixir of Orckind
  1
  1d6 days
  1d6 hours
  Elixir of Purity
  2
  1d8 days
  2d8 hours
  Chapter 7
  
  79
  powers and alchemical abilities when worn or carried in 
  contact with the bearer’s skin (i.e. as an amulet beneath a 
  shirt):
  • 
  Emerald tablets provide a +1 insight bonus to all 
  saves;
  • 
  Emerald tablets provide a +2 bonus to 
  counterspelling or any of the following skill 
  checks: Craft (Alchemy), Heal, Listen, Spellcraft, 
  and Spot.
  One of the things that disturbs many alchemists and 
  clients about emerald stones is their temporary nature. Not 
  only do they crumble with use, they must be destroyed 
  utterly during the Alchana Stone creation process, without 
  any guarantee that the Alchana Stone will result. (The 
  costs to create an emerald tablet are not subtracted from 
  the costs of creating an Alchana Stone.) Emerald Tablets 
  must also have at least 12 charges when using them in the 
  creation of an Alchana Stone or else the process 
  will automatically fail.
  No aura; CL 17th; Create Alchana; DC: 37; 
  Price: 65,000 gp
  Entanglobe [Erlcana; Special]
  This small glass globe holds a unique fertilizer 
  and plant food that induces rapid growth on 
  exposed plants. By throwing this ﬁst-sized globe 
  as a grenade-like weapon and impacting it on a 
  hard surface containing any kind of vegetation, 
  the globe bursts, releasing a liquid compound 
  which causes all grass, weeds, bushes and the 
  like to twist and entwine about creatures in a 
  10 ft. radius or those trying to enter the area, 
  holding them fast. For 2d6 minutes, consider 
  the affected area to be under the inﬂuence of 
  an entangle spell. 
  No aura; CL 5th; at least one rank in 
  Profession (Herbalist); DC: 25; Price: 1,200 gp
  Erlixir of Greengifting  
  [Erlcana, Greater; Special]
  The Erlixir of Greengifting turns the imbiber into a kin 
  o’ the green (see Appendix One). The thick erlixir smells 
  differently to each observer—to some it seems loamy and 
  rich of earth, while others only smell rain-dappled violets 
  or the crisp odor of frost-covered grass. The ceramic bottle 
  in which the erlixir is commonly placed is round with 
  painted or molded vines covering its outside and eyes 
  peering out from amid them. If the imbiber has either 
  no knowledge of what has been drunk or no herbalism 
  knowledge at all, the effects will be fought by the body. 
  Unless the character successfully makes a Fort save (DC 
  18), he or she will choke to death on the plant ﬁbers 
  quickly inﬁltrating the throat and lungs. Acceptance of 
  this effect (by knowledge of plants and accepting them 
  into the body) adds a +6 circumstance bonus toward 
  surviving the change. The change itself is extremely taxing 
  to the body and (regardless of the success of the saving 
  throw) the person will fall unconscious for 4d12 hours and 
  cannot be awakened by effects shy of a wish spell. After 
  that time, during which the initial metamorphosis occurs, 
  the person awakens as a bridge between animal and plant. 
  Other details can be found in Appendix One.
  No aura; CL 18th; Create Erlcana; DC: 36; Price: 110,000 
  gp
  Erlixir of Trees’ Voice  
  [Erlcana, Greater; Special]
  The Erlixir of Trees’ Voice permanently grants the imbiber 
  the ability to speak with plants as per the spell or native 
  ability of some fey or plant creatures.
  This thin, watery erlixir looks like violet-impregnated 
  water and smells the same, though viewing it by 
  darkvision or low-light vision shows some glowing akin 
  to luminescent mosses. It comes in a small, thin ceramic 
  vial shaped like a thick stemmed rose with a pair of female 
  lips formed among the rose petals (the rose head being the 
  stopper).
  No aura; CL 16th; Create Erlcana; DC: 33; Price: 98,000 
  gp
  Erlixir of Winter’s Legacy  
  [Erlcana, Greater; Special]
  The Erlixir of Winter’s Legacy, unlike the other erlixirs, 
  is thicker and more an unguent than an imbibable drink. 
  When poured or smeared upon a dead body, the erlixir 
  transforms the body’s ﬂesh and skin to a moss that swiftly 
  hardens to wood, and, over the course of 1d4 days, 
  reincarnates the dead body (and the person to whom it 
  once belonged) into a plant, fey or magical creature. 
  The Erlixir of Winter’s Legacy comes in a small black 
  ceramic bottle with a humaniform shape on one side of the 
  bottle, and a bear in the same pose on the other. In all ways, 
  the erlixir works as per the reincarnate spell, though GMs 
  should roll on Table 25: Incarnation Table to determine 
  the character’s new form and abilities.
  Feed of Elemental Resistance  
  [Herbal Restorative/Ingestible; Special]
  After ingesting this feed, any animal or magical beast up 
  to the size of a large horse (meaning that this feed can be 
  used by centaurs if so desired) can endure temperature 
  extremes without any penalties, provided they are not 
  supernatural in origin. Snow, sleet, rain, or desert heat 
  will not affect the mount or animal for 2d6 hours after 
  feeding. 
  Maxar of Jhoth originally created this feed and set the 
  standard packaging—a tightly packed pound of herbs 
  and oats in a waxed-muslin bundle. The bundle is broken 
  open and crumbled into the feedbag. 
  No aura; CL 4th; Brew Ingestible or Craft Herbal 
  Restorative; DC: 17; Price: 275 gp/1 pound bag (1 meal)
  Feed of Refreshment  
  [Herbal Restorative/Ingestible; Special]
  This feed allows a mount or large animal or magical 
  beast to shake off the effects of hard riding or long 
  periods of enforced activity. Any damage (up to 2d8 hit 
  points) induced by forced or extended movement in the 
  previous eight hours is reduced to subdual damage upon 
  consuming this mixture. That subdual damage is reduced 
  as per the normal rules.
  Maxar of Jhoth originally created this feed and set the 
  standard packaging—a tightly packed pound of herbs 
  and oats in a waxed-muslin bundle. The bundle is broken 
  open and crumbled into the feedbag. 
  No aura; CL 3rd; Brew Ingestible or Craft Herbal 
  Restorative; DC: 15; Price: 220 gp/1 pound bag (1 meal)
  Catalog Herbala
  
  80
  Feed of Restfulness  
  [Herbal Restorative/Ingestible; Special]
  A large animal or magical beast that consumes this feed 
  gains the beneﬁts of a full day’s (24 hours) rest with only 
  4 hours of sleep. 
  Maxar of Jhoth originally created this feed and set the 
  standard packaging—a tightly packed pound of herbs 
  and oats in a waxed-muslin bundle. The bundle is broken 
  open and crumbled into the feedbag. 
  No aura; CL 3rd; Brew Ingestible or Craft Herbal 
  Restorative; DC: 16; Price: 235 gp/1 pound bag (1 meal)
  Fluidsteel [Alchana; Special]
  Fluidsteel is a mercury-like substance that remains liquid 
  while in its treated vial, but dries rapidly and hardens 
  into lesser-worked steel when poured out. If uncontained, 
  ﬂuidsteel ﬂows and spreads rapidly, creating a quickly 
  hardening sheet of paper-thin foil of little use aside from 
  melting and reforging. If poured into a mold, ﬂuidsteel 
  will harden over one hour and be ready for ﬁnal working 
  and tempering at that time. Finally, ﬂuidsteel can be 
  poured over already-worked steel items to ﬁll in any 
  breaks or holes, but only if held in a way to keep the ﬂuid 
  metal in contact with the items (after an hour, the weapon 
  is considered repaired).
  No aura; CL 10th; Craft Chymicals; DC: 28; Price: 1,000 
  gp/pound
  Glazier’s Acid [Chymical; Special]
  This is a low-level acid attuned to silicates—in other words, 
  this acid affects glass and is used by artisans and glaziers 
  to both shape glass and etch designs into its surface. Even 
  though it is a weak acid, it can inﬂict 1d4 points of damage 
  to exposed skin on a direct hit and 1d6 points of damage 
  to exposed eyes or open mouths. 
  Glazier’s acid is most commonly identiﬁed by its 2-
  ounce wooden bottles and its acrid smell of oranges.
  No aura; CL 1st; At least one rank 
  in Craft (Alchemy); DC: 12; Price: 50 
  gp
  Graftswathe (Generic) 
   [Swathe/Erlcana; Special]
  The smallest and most common of the 
  swathes, graftswathes are living plants 
  fused to magical items to add more 
  nature to their supernatural powers:
  • 
  They can alter the visual effect 
  of a spell produced by the item to 
  resemble a tangle of magical vines and 
  leaves akin to those fused to the item’s 
  exterior;
  • 
  All fey, plants, and plant 
  creatures gain a +2 circumstance to 
  their Fortitude save against spells cast 
  from items with graftswathes; and
  • 
  Spells 
  and 
  spell-effects 
  cast with a graftswathe are harder 
  to counterspell or dispel due to 
  additional natural magics and the 
  changed appearance of the spell—+4 
  to Spellcraft DCs for counterspelling 
  and +4 to the item’s caster levels vs. 
  dispel magic effects.
  The costs for a graft swathe include the raw materials 
  and preparatory liquids and processes to grow the graft, 
  then the costs for preparing and treating the leather 
  (or tougher) items both before and during the grafting 
  process. 
  No aura; CL 4th (wands), 7th (rod, staff); Grow Swathe, 
  Craft Wand or Craft Rod or Craft Staff; DC: 18 (wands), 20 
  (rods), 22 (staves); Price: 450 gp + cost of wand (wand), 
  600 gp + cost of rod or staff (rod, staff)
  Handshield Powder [Powder; Special]
  Though called a powder, handshield acts like a dust since 
  one applies it by sprinkling it manually (or by reaching 
  into its pouch and rubbing one’s hands in it). This creates 
  a ﬂexible but protective coating on the hands to avoid 
  suffering any effects from touching topical substances on 
  an item or surface. Handshield powder does not negate 
  the substances, magical or otherwise, but merely prevents 
  any consequences via touch for up to one minute. Contact 
  poisons also do not take effect, provided contact is for no 
  more than a round and the person thoroughly washes his 
  hands immediately of both this powder and any clinging 
  poisons. The powder and its coating can be peeled off the 
  hands as if they were very tight latex gloves.
  No aura; CL 7th; Craft Powders & Dusts; DC: 28; Price: 
  330 gp/ounce (one use/hand)
  Healer’s Stone [Alchana, Greater; Special]
  One of the Five Great Alchana Stones, the Healer’s Stone is 
  among the greatest feats of creation for white alchemists, 
  as its powers exemplify their quest for perfection as 
  exhibited in living matter. Wearing or holding the stone 
  adds a +6 competence bonus to any Heal checks and 
  provides an automatic +2 to all Fortitude saves. It also has 
  a primary power to create elixirs either wholly or when 
  submerged in a quart of aqua clarissima (see table below; 
  Table 25: Incarnation Table
  d% 
  Incarnation
  Str
  Dex
  Con
  01-08
  Centaur 
  +8
  +4
  +4
  09-16
  Dryad
  0
  +4
  0
  17-24
  Gnoll
  +5
  0
  +3
  25-32
  Kin o’ the Green—Stage One*
  -1
  +1
  -1
  33-40
  Kin o’ the Green—Stage Two*
  -1
  +1
  -1
  41-48
  Lycanthrope—Wereboar*
  0
  0
  0
  49-56
  Lycanthrope—Werewolf*
  0
  0
  0
  57-64
  Satyr
  0
  +2
  +2
  65-72
  Sprite—Grig
  -6
  +8
  +2
  73-80
  Sprite—Nixie
  -4
  +6
  0
  81-88
  Sprite—Pixie
  -4
  +8
  0
  89-92
  Other Fey (GM’s choice)
  ?
  ?
  ?
  93-96
  Other Plant (GM’s choice)
  ?
  ?
  ?
  97-00
  Other (GM’s choice)
  ?
  ?
  ?
  *: Refer to the templates in the MM and Appendix One of this book for details to add 
  about these new templates in effect on the person’s now revived form. 
  Caster Level: 17; Prerequisites: Profession: Herbalist, Create Erlcana; DC: 35; Market 
  Price: 104,000 gp; Cost to Create: 52,000 gp.
  Chapter 7
  
  81
  the aqua is absorbed and made part of the elixir, speeding 
  up the process).
  The Healer’s Stone is a white, opalescent stone with a 
  dull shine like a pearl lit from within. If the item is used 
  only to boost Healing checks and saving throws, it can 
  last the lifetime of its user or longer. However, using it to 
  create elixirs costs some of its strength. A Healer’s Stone 
  only carries 5d20 charges for such uses, and the charges 
  are used up as per the table below.
  While a Healer’s Stone is creating an elixir, there is a 
  danger in interrupting or halting the process. Should the 
  stone be removed from either its aqua or the beginnings of 
  its own produced elixirs, the material becomes inert goo 
  rather than an elixir and the charges are still lost. Also, 
  after creating an elixir, a Healer’s Stone cannot be used 
  actively (though its beneﬁts can be gained while carried) 
  for as many hours or days as the elixir took to create.
  No aura; CL 19th; Create Greater Alchana; DC: 42 (if 
  white alchemist), 43 (if another prestige class alchemist), 
  44 (if generic alchemist); Market Price: 325,000 gp 
  (minimum)
  Heating Plate [Wondrous Item; Magical]
  This trivet-like device looks like a modest cast-iron plate 
  set into a marble base. When anything touches the plate 
  for more than 1 round the plate will glow red hot as if 
  a heat metal spell were cast on it. The plate cools as soon 
  as the object is removed. Heating Plates are commonly 
  used to brew potions or cook meals when an open ﬂame 
  would be hazardous, but they are far more useful to 
  alchemists and herbalists in labs and shops. It is rarely 
  used by adventurers, since the heating plate must be stored 
  in a wooden box carefully made to prevent anything from 
  touching and activating it while still stored away (and 
  possibly setting the bearer and his gear on ﬁre).
  Faint transmutation; CL 3rd; Craft Wondrous Item, 
  heat metal; Price: 1,500 gp.
  Catalog Herbala
  
  82
  Hyur’s Paint [Chymical; Special]
  Hyur’s Paint is a grayish paint with a light scent of mint 
  and lilac. When it is painted over a sigil, a symbol, or other 
  visual markings, the user can peel away a slightly rubbery 
  duplicate image of that marking or symbol for his or 
  her records. Unless the symbol is keyed to activate upon 
  contact, using the paint to duplicate it will not trigger its 
  effects. The paint also serves (if thoroughly covering a 
  symbol) to shield people from the effects of viewing magical 
  sigils for one round. If used carefully and deliberately, 
  each paint jar contains enough alchemical paint to cover 
  5 square feet or for 4 separate uses. Obviously, dumping 
  the jar’s contents over an area without looking, to avoid a 
  symbol and hopefully cover it (throwing it as a grenade-
  like missile to splash the area), reduces the jar to only one 
  use. 
  Hyur’s Paint comes in a small rounded jar with a 
  rounded brush clamped to its underside and the top 
  airtight to prevent drying. A stylized H always decorates 
  the jar’s top in honor of the paint’s inventor, if not its 
  immediate creator.
  No aura; CL 11th; Craft Chymicals; DC: 29; Price: 500 
  gp/8 oz. pot
  Ink of Scribes’ Reprisal  
  [Chymical/Toxin; Special]
  This mildly toxic ink dries quickly but always remains 
  partially sticky and often causes a scroll to stick when 
  rolled. If the ink is touched by exposed skin (usually to free 
  a stuck scroll), the poison is absorbed through the pores 
  and takes effect in seconds. Victims must make a Fort save 
  (DC 15) twice to avoid either waves of nausea for 1d6 
  rounds or the follow-up of 2d12 points of subdual damage. 
  The latter often leaves the ink’s victims unconscious and 
  easily robbed (or killed by other means).
  Invented by accident by Tragar while researching his 
  Esoterinks, this poisoned ink has become a favorite in 
  courtly intrigues, if only to embarrass one’s enemies. It 
  has also come into use among highwaymen who pose as 
  couriers and then rob their indisposed victims after they’ve 
  “read the message from his lordship.” It is considered a 
  civilized toxin as it does not kill its victims, though those 
  left penniless by its effects are rarely in a mood to agree.
  No aura; CL 2nd; Craft Toxin; DC: 12; Price: 220 gp/
  ounce
  Ironskin Powder [Powder; Special]
  By blowing ironskin powder onto something, this 
  alchemical powder changes that material to iron. The 
  material now has a Hardness of 10 and 30 material hit points 
  per inch of thickness and the weight of iron. If applied to 
  living matter (skin, hide, living fur, etc.), ironskin powder 
  adds no weight but does provide a temporary armor class 
  bonus of +4 (natural armor). This change also incurs no 
  arcane armor penalties. The effect lasts for 1d4 hours.
  No aura; CL 12th; Craft Powders & Dusts; DC: 30; 
  Price: 400 gp/ounce
  Jharul’s Ointment of Noncorruption  
  [Unguent; Special]
  Jharul’s Ointment of Noncorruption is an embalming 
  ointment that slows the decomposition of dead tissues. 
  This nonmagical cousin of oil of timelessness simply slows 
  down the decomposition rate of a body to one hour per 
  day, allowing the greater possibility of resurrection of 
  the corpse. It also has the benevolent effect of canceling 
  out the odors emitted by the decaying body, and negates 
  any scents that would attract carrion-eaters. Each jar is 
  enough to cover a medium-sized person or two small-
  sized people. 
  Of all the effects of this ointment, the strangest is its 
  effects on undead tissue: it actually revives it to at least 
  the semblance of life. Liches or zombies, aside from major 
  rents and wounds in the ﬂesh, can appear as if they were 
  still alive, and no scent or ashen color of ﬂesh betrays them 
  otherwise. Thus, this ointment is highly prized by liches 
  and those necromancers who are vain enough to want 
  better-looking yet still-loyal undead servitors. 
  No aura; CL 10th; Craft Unguent; DC: 22; Price: 600 
  gp/8 oz. jar
  Jhotan’s Sealing Waxes [Chymical; Special]
  Created to deter the interception of communications, 
  Jhotan’s four special sealing waxes produce a variety of 
  effects if the hardened wax seals are broken in any way 
  other than with a speciﬁc counteragent. The waxes and 
  counteragents by themselves are relatively inert, though 
  the alchemical properties of the waxes are primed and set 
  once they are melted and stamped into seals on scrolls and 
  missives. After the wax seal cools, the only safe way to 
  break it is by applying its counteragent. All four types of 
  wax are below.
  The counteragents are actually the liquid byproduct 
  of the wax creation, the ﬂuid within which the wax ﬂoats 
  at the end of the process. If the counteragents become 
  separated from their waxes, they are easily matched up 
  again, as the liquids have colors (translucent and much 
  paler but of the same hue) mimicking those of the waxes. 
  However, this identiﬁcation is only useful with unused 
  materials, as all of the waxes melt and resolidify into a 
  dull red-brown hue regardless of their original color. This 
  helps prevent spies from just buying counteragents of 
  their own to steal mail—only the sender and the scroll’s 
  intended receiver should know (arranged in advance) 
  which type of sealing wax it is and which counteragent 
  opens it safely.
  Packaged most often in a wooden box marked with 
  Jhotan’s own sigil, the sealing waxes are four sticks 
  individually wrapped in paper. A colored ribbon ties 
  each stick to its speciﬁc counteragent. The sticks of wax 
  are 2 ounces each and their counteragents come in 1-
  ounce vials. The standard box also comes with Jhotan’s 
  special wax seal stamp; the counteragent is placed within 
  the hollow shaft to inject the liquid into a hard wax seal, 
  breaking it up without unleashing its primary effects (as 
  noted above). Using this allows a vial of counteragent 
  to safely dissolve nine wax seals, the same amount each 
  wax stick is capable of creating. One can pour the liquid 
  directly onto the wax seal for the same effect, though each 
  vial can then only deliver three uses. 
  Jhotan’s Sealing Waxes were created on a commission 
  from 
  powerful 
  landholders 
  whose 
  enemies 
  kept 
  intercepting their communications and ruining their 
  businesses. The alchemist Jhotan promised that spies and 
  interlopers would pay a high price for interfering with 
  missives and scrolls sealed by these waxes.
  No aura; CL 9th; Craft Chymicals; DC: 34; Price: 
  Variable—750 gp/standard box of 4 sticks (1 each) and 4 
  vials of counteragent
  Chapter 7
  
  83
  Acidwax
  If broken without the counteragent, this wax liqueﬁes 
  instantly and covers an immediate one-foot radius around 
  itself. The reddish acid then dissolves any materials of 
  Hardness 1 or less, inﬂicting 1d4 points of damage to any 
  materials and ﬂesh in contact with the seal or within the 
  liquid’s area of effect. This acid usually destroys the scroll 
  and at least parts of whatever surface the scroll was on.
  Acidwax, in its inert wax stick form, is red with orange 
  ﬂecks, and its counteragent is a pale orange liquid.
  Price: 150 gp/stick of wax and vial of counteragent.
  Firewax
  If broken without the counteragent, this wax crumbles to 
  dust. The dust then immediately ignites, setting ﬁre to any 
  wood or ﬂammable material it touches within a foot of 
  where it broke open. Like acidwax above, ﬁrewax’s task 
  is to ensure that the scroll itself be destroyed rather than 
  read—if anything else burns with it, that is the sender’s 
  vengeance upon spies. 
  Firewax, when inert, is a small brown stick of wax, its 
  counteragent a thin oily tan liquid.
  Price: 175 gp/stick of wax and vial of counteragent.
  Spies’ Wax
  The most complex and interesting of Jhotan’s works, 
  spies’ wax becomes a thin oily liquid when broken open 
  improperly. The liquid soaks into the scroll, dissolving the 
  common inks on it. Different writing then appears, due to 
  the special inks (now visible but normally invisible) used 
  for preset false messages to deter spies or at least ﬂush out 
  enemies by baiting them with false messages.
  Spies’ wax comes in midnight blue sticks with a 
  cornﬂower blue counteragent.
  Price: 200 gp/stick of wax and vial of counteragent.
  Vaporwax
  Vaporwax cracks open sharply when opened improperly 
  and dissolves into a noxious gas cloud of purple vapors. 
  The gas ﬁlls a 10-foot cube in less than a round and inﬂicts 
  a double effect like all poisons. The initial Fort save (DC 15) 
  inﬂicts 1d4 points of poison damage to the lungs, mouth 
  and nose if breathed in. The second save (DC 18) prevents 
  the victim in the gas cloud from falling unconscious and 
  breathing in that 1d4 points of damage each round for the 
  next 1d4 rounds. The gas dissipates normally but remains 
  toxic and effective for two rounds at the very least.
  Vaporwax comes in plum colored sticks with a violet 
  colored counteragent.
  Price: 175 gp/stick of wax and vial of counteragent.
  Laasic’s Athanor [Wondrous Item; Magical]
  This magically-charged item is the alchemist’s best 
  friend—a never-cooling, ever-constant ﬂaming furnace 
  with no need for refueling or adjustment of temperature. 
  The Athanor stands nine feet high and is a pyramidal 
  object nearly seven feet square at the base. Five ovens 
  for alchemical heating processes stack along the front 
  of Laasic’s Athanor—two sized for Tiny items and one 
  each for Small, Medium, and Large items. In fact, with a 
  command word (often carved on one face of the Athanor), 
  the alchemist can set the magical heat for cupellation, 
  calcination, or common baking oven temperatures. 
  The creator of this item needs to know alchemy, in 
  order to know how accessible the interior must be for 
  variously sized objects and what temperatures would 
  need to be magically generated by the magical athanor. 
  Moderate evocation; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, 
  burning hands, ﬁre shield, heat metal; Price: 2,000 gp.
  Lash of Saumar  
  [Alchana/Wondrous Item; Magical]
  A lash of Saumar is a whip that appears to be made out 
  of mercury or some other liquid metal, though a quick 
  look at it might suggest a normal whip dripping with 
  some silvery substance. It is deﬁnitely an alchemical and 
  magical mixture that hits like hard steel, but it is like a 
  whip in all ways but the following:
  • 
  It deals true damage, not subdual damage, with 
  its hits.
  • 
  It can deal damage to creatures and characters 
  with less than a +3 armor bonus or +6 natural 
  armor bonus.
  • 
  If used to entangle someone or something, only 
  the wielder (i.e. the person holding the lash’s 
  handle) can grab at the length and untangle it. All 
  others simply grasp liquid that runs through their 
  ﬁngers, even though the lash’s hold remains.
  • 
  When it is not employed and in hand, it does 
  not hang on the belt but is looped up and then 
  “poured” (for lack of a better term) into its 
  holster—a small metal tube on the belt.
  Invented by the alchemist Saumar, the process for 
  making his namesake lashes spread during and after his 
  lifetime and became a preferred weapon among some 
  monastic orders. If analyzed by an alchemist, the lash is 
  composed of a ﬁne metal-thread whip surrounded by 
  aqua metallorum and infused with magic. 
  No aura; CL 8th; Create Alchana, Craft Magic Arms & 
  Armor; DC: —; Price: 400 gp.
  Lockblight Acid [Chymical; Special]
  The acid within this tiny leathern vial interacts violently 
  with oil-coated metals, like the oils within a lock that keep 
  its mechanisms moving. It is squeezed quickly into a metal 
  lock and reacts with said oils by crystallizing the metals 
  and effectively causing the metal lock to crumble to dust.
  Locked doors subjected to lockblight may no longer 
  have a lock mechanism, though the deadbolts may still be 
  in place—reduce the DC to open said door by 2. If this acid 
  is squeezed out on a metallic construct or animated object, 
  they get a Fort save (DC15) or they suffer 1d4 points of 
  damage. 
  No aura; CL 5th; At least one rank in Craft (Alchemy); 
  DC: 20; Price: 16 gp/ ½ oz.
  Locksbane Powder [Powder; Special]
  Blown into a lock, locksbane powder interacts with oils and 
  greases within and fuses the metals together into one solid 
  mass, rendering the lock inert and useless. It has no effect 
  on stone locks. It also turns the door into both a locked and 
  jammed or stuck door, adding a +2 circumstance bonus 
  against it being broken down or forced open. 
  Each bottle of powder is enough to fuse one large lock 
  (internal door or chest locks). While many fail to see the 
  usefulness of this when lockblight acid is much cheaper, 
  this powder renders entire jails useless, effectively slows 
  any pursuit from behind said doors, and, if nothing else, 
  Catalog Herbala
  
  84
  hits the owners with the expensive costs of replacing 
  whole doors and locks. 
  No aura; CL 5th; Craft Powders & Dusts; DC: 25; Price: 
  285 gp/1 oz. bottle
  Loyal’s Feedbag  
  [Erlcana/Wondrous Item; Magical]
  Loyal was the name of Maxar of Jhoth’s horse, and his 
  feedbag—magically endowed by a wizard friend of his 
  master—soon became a standard among those who 
  treasured their mounts and wanted some magical aid for 
  them out in the wilderness. This feedbag is enchanted to 
  produce any one of the herbal feeds (feed of elemental 
  resistance, feed of refreshment, feed of restfulness) no 
  more than once within a 24 hour period, though it can 
  produce a pound of normal grains and suitable food for a 
  mount once every eight hours. Common grains and oats 
  appear in the bag once the bag is strapped on (assuming 
  this does not occur more than once every eight hours) 
  unless a command word is spoken—command words to 
  produce the particular type of herbal feed are stitched 
  onto the leather bottom of the bag.
  No aura; CL 6th; Create Erlcana, Craft Wondrous Item; 
  DC: —; Price: 1,750 gp.
  Mage-Gold [Alchana; Special]
  Mage-gold is the better of the two known mage-metals, 
  and only alchemists can make it. It is harder than normal 
  gold and can be forged and tempered into weapons. 
  Mage-gold can be identiﬁed by its perpetual shine—it 
  never tarnishes (save perhaps under the acidic breath of 
  a black dragon). Neither does mage-gold resonate or ring 
  when struck, rendering it useless for chimes or musical 
  instruments. Its white-gold coloration also distinguishes it 
  from common gold. The powers the mage-metal exhibits 
  are thus:
  • 
  Spell effects emitted by a mage-gold item gain 
  the Enlarge Spell and Spell Penetration bonuses 
  whether the caster has the feat or not; if the feat is 
  already present, the bonus increases by another 
  50% (i.e. half again as much range or +3 to caster 
  level check vs. spell resistance).
  • 
  During enchantment of either weapons or armor, 
  there is a cumulative 25% chance per +1 bonus 
  added that the bonus will be +1 higher than 
  anticipated without additional XP or gp costs 
  incurred (i.e. a +4 weapon enchantment will 
  automatically become a +5). This beneﬁt only 
  appears the ﬁrst time the metal is enchanted, not 
  any other time.
  • 
  If used as part of a ritual for turning or rebuking 
  undead, mage-gold holy symbols allow the 
  clerics or paladins to add +4 to their turning 
  damage totals.
  • 
  Lastly, weapons sheathed or wholly forged 
  from mage-gold inﬂict an additional 4 points of 
  damage to outsiders (those from another plane). 
  The expensive and rare nature of this alchemical metal 
  keeps it from being overused. Add the cost of the mage-
  metal (by weight) to the normal costs of any item—at least 
  half the item’s weight must be mage-metal in order to gain 
  its effects. In other words, rings should be made entirely 
  of mage-metal, weapons and armor may either be pure 
  mage-metal or alloyed with masterwork-level metals, 
  and rods beneﬁt from mage-metals, but wands and staves 
  and many other items cannot gain the beneﬁts due to 
  the paucity of metals in their construction (a wand, for 
  example, is primarily wood, so there isn’t enough mage-
  metal to have any effect).
  If mage-gold is found as part of a treasure hoard, 
  it’s most likely a magical item, though it can be slagged 
  (so only the mage-metal itself is salvageable) or whole 
  and useful. If raiding an alchemist’s shop mage-gold is 
  most commonly found in half-pound ingots (created in 
  pairs) or in one-ounce lumps for working and forging by 
  someone else. They are also commonly stamped with an 
  alchemist’s (or wizard’s) mark—beware being found with 
  stolen mage-metal ingots!
  No aura; CL 9th; Create Alchana; DC: 35; Price: 250 
  gp/ounce
  Mage-Silver [Alchana; Special]
  Mage-silver shines with the brilliance of water in 
  moonlight—silver within silver—and like all mage-metals 
  it never tarnishes and remains mirror-bright forever, no 
  matter what form it takes. Mage-silver is harder than 
  normal silver and can be forged into weapons by itself 
  rather than just alloying or plating a harder metal. Its 
  identifying characteristics are its ﬂat tone and lack of 
  resonance if hit and its whitish-silver hue, making it very 
  hard to disguise as regular silver. The powers the mage-
  metal exhibits are thus:
  • 
  Spell effects emitted by a mage-silver item gain 
  the Extend Spell and Heighten Spell bonuses 
  whether the caster has the feat or not; if the 
  feat is already present, the bonus increases by 
  another 50% (i.e. spell lasts three times longer 
  than normal or add an additional possible level 
  to spells normally less than 5th level—+2 levels 
  to spells of levels 1-4 but only +1 to higher-level 
  spells).
  • 
  During enchantment of either weapons or 
  armors, there is a cumulative 15% chance per +1 
  bonus added that the bonus will be +1 higher 
  than anticipated without additional XP or gp 
  Mage-Metal Conversion Rates Table (from 10-pound standard)
  Starting Metal
  Mage-Silver # Charges/# of days
  Mage-Gold # Charges/# of days
  Common*
  4/4d10
  5/5d12
  Copper 
  3/3d8
  4/4d10
  Silver
  1/1d4
  3/3d8
  Iron
  2/2d6
  2/2d6
  Gold 
  2/2d6
  1/1d4
  Steel
  1/1d4
  1/1d4
  Chapter 7
  
  85
  costs incurred. This beneﬁt only appears the ﬁrst 
  time the metal is enchanted, not any other time.
  • 
  If used as part of a ritual for turning or rebuking 
  undead, mage-silver holy symbols allow the 
  clerics or paladins to act as if they were a level 
  higher for the purpose of how many creatures 
  are affected.
  • 
  Lastly, weapons sheathed or wholly forged 
  from mage-silver inﬂict an additional +4 points 
  of damage to undead, lycanthropes, and others 
  vulnerable to silver. 
  The expensive and rare nature of this alchemical metal 
  keeps it from being overused. Add the cost of the mage-
  metal (by weight) to the normal costs of any item—at least 
  half the item’s weight must be mage-metal in order to gain 
  its effects. In other words, rings should be made entirely 
  of mage-metal, weapons and armor may either be pure 
  mage-metal or alloyed with masterwork-level metals, 
  and rods beneﬁt from mage-metals, but wands and staves 
  and many other items cannot gain the beneﬁts due to 
  the paucity of metals in their construction (a wand, for 
  example, is primarily wood, so there isn’t enough mage-
  metal to have any effect).
  If mage-silver is found as part of a treasure hoard, 
  it’s most likely a magical item, though it can be slagged 
  (so only the mage-metal itself is salvageable) or whole 
  and useful. If raiding an alchemist’s shop mage-silver is 
  most commonly found in half-pound ingots (created in 
  pairs) or in one-ounce lumps for working and forging by 
  someone else. They are also commonly stamped with an 
  alchemist’s (or wizard’s) mark—beware being found with 
  stolen mage-metal ingots!
  No aura; CL 8th; Create Alchana; DC: 30; Price: 200 
  gp/ounce
  Marael’s Tisane  
  [Ingestible/Herbal Restorative; Special]
  Marael’s Tisane, while technically an ingestible, is rarely 
  used as such due to its awful-smelling tea, the odor 
  having been described by some as “eau de otyugh.” 
  Instead, its brewed leaves and herbs are generally used as 
  a restorative for healing and restoring lost limbs or digits. 
  Pack the tisane as a moist poultice between severed ends 
  of a limb or digit within 5 minutes of their severing and the 
  limb can be restored to the person if the poultices remain 
  in place and the person receives a cure moderate wounds 
  spell or better within 1d6 hours. It has the secondary effect 
  of anaesthetizing the wounded area, reducing the victim’s 
  pain.
  No aura; CL 6th; Brew Ingestible or Craft Herbal 
  Restorative; DC: 23; Price: 125 gp/ 1 ounce
  Masterwreck Acid [Chymical; Special]
  This acid could be a normal polishing agent in a 
  blacksmith’s shop, though it is too expensive for that. 
  Its major use is for ruining any magically-enchanted 
  or enhanced materials. If exposed to any material with 
  magic embedded in it, the acid quickly bubbles and turns 
  highly corrosive, reducing the object’s material hit points 
  by 1d8 points (and probably reducing its break DC, as per 
  Player’s Handbook Chapter 9). This damage can be enough 
  to totally destroy magical swords or rings, and yet the 
  bubbling acid leaves living ﬂesh and alchemical or erlcana 
  items intact and unharmed. Even if the item in question is 
  not ruined, it will be weakened and more likely to break 
  or be destroyed.
  Many mages’ guilds have outlawed this substance 
  and actively hunt and persecute any who sell this, so it is 
  very hard to ﬁnd (and thus more expensive). In fact, the 
  guilds leave an open bounty on both those using this acid 
  and those selling it to deter anyone from considering such 
  activity.
  No aura; CL 2nd; At least one rank in Craft (Alchemy); 
  DC: 14; Price: 80 gp/ounce
  Maxar’s Antiseptic Ointment  
  [Unguent; Special]
  Whether applied in advance of an attack or after a wound 
  is inﬂicted, Maxar’s Antiseptic Ointment counteracts the 
  effects of any Contact or Injury poisons. It provides a +6 
  circumstance bonus to Fort saves vs. the aforementioned 
  poisons and toxins for 2d6 hours, though it fully neutralizes 
  poisons in the system if applied after the poison is delivered 
  (and usually cancels secondary or lingering effects). 
  No aura; CL 12th; Craft Herbal Restorative or Craft 
  Unguent; DC: 25; Price: 900 gp/2 oz.
  Maxar’s Antivenom [Chymical; Special]
  Maxar’s Antivenom is a universal liquid antidote for all 
  nonmagical and animal-based poisons. It is ranked as a 
  chymical because it can be administered either topically 
  as an unguent or orally as an ingestible. If ingested, it 
  provides an additional Fort save against poisons with a 
  +9 circumstance bonus, and will ﬂush the person’s system 
  of the poison in 1d12 minutes. If applied as an unguent 
  directly onto poisoned wounds, the Fort Save is only at +3 
  and the system will be ﬂushed of poisons in an hour, but 
  the antivenom can be used on two victims as it only takes 
  two ounces to achieve the effects noted above.
  No aura; CL 13th; Craft Herbal Restorative or Craft 
  Chymicals; DC: 32; Price: 1,200 gp/4 oz.
  Maxar’s Fangliniment [Unguent; Special]
  Maxar’s Fangliniment, when rubbed on the skin, reduces 
  or prevents tooth and claw damage from nonmagical 
  beasts. It toughens normal skin and provides a natural 
  armor bonus of +3 but only against natural living weapons 
  (tooth, claw, antler, etc.). It also provides a Damage 
  Resistance of 5 against those same natural weapons. 
  It takes as much time to apply this liniment to the 
  entire body as it does to put on a suit of plate armor, but 
  other armor or clothing can be worn over it afterward. The 
  fangliniment’s effects last 3d12 hours.
  No aura; CL 10th; Craft Unguent; DC: 30; Price: 5,000 
  gp/4 oz.
  Maxar’s Greater Antidote [Ingestible; Special]
  An advanced version of Maxar’s Antivenom, this potion is 
  a universal antidote against all kinds of poisons, regardless 
  of how they are administered or created. 
  • 
  If drunk within 10 minutes of the poison entering 
  the system, the antidote removes any damage 
  (subdual or real) done by the poison, though it 
  will not restore life to a person already killed by 
  the poison. It further ﬂushes the poison from the 
  person’s system as inert moisture.
  Catalog Herbala
  
  86
  • 
  If drunk before toxins or poisons are administered, 
  this antidote provides a +6 circumstance bonus 
  for all Fortitude saves related to poisons and 
  toxins for the next 2d4 hours. 
  This liquid comes in a gold-threaded leathern pouch 
  like an elixir or a paste, and its thickness demands it be 
  squeezed into the mouth. However, once inside the warm 
  mouth it becomes less viscous and ﬂows easily down the 
  throat, even if the victim is unconscious. 
  No aura; CL 12th; Alchemy or Profession: Herbalist, 
  Craft Herbal Restorative or Brew Ingestible; DC: 25; Price: 
  1,800 gp/4 oz.
  Metalchemponents [Chymicals; Special]
  Discovered 
  by 
  early 
  experimenters 
  at 
  Saragun’s 
  Alcheminary, these materials are now the product of 
  centuries of reﬁnement and modiﬁcation. They are the 
  result of some of the ﬁnest alchemical minds testing the 
  interaction between physical and arcane laws. In their 
  greatest successes they have developed “recipes,” as more 
  traditional spellcasters deride them, for increasing the 
  power of arcane magic.
  Rarely do these solutions, mixtures and distillations 
  of various exotic substances have any active properties 
  on their own, but when they are used in lieu of material 
  components they affect the casting of a spell in much the 
  same way as a metamagic feat. Because most spells were 
  not designed with these material components in mind, 
  the casting is a bit more lengthy and involved than usual, 
  although the solutions themselves are stored in the caster’s 
  spell component pouch and are no more cumbersome 
  than other material components.
  • 
  Metalchemponents allow the caster to cast spells 
  using the following metamagic feats without 
  previous preparation: Empower Spell, Enlarge 
  Spell, Extend Spell, Maximize Spell. 
  • 
  A spellcaster untrained in a particular metamagic 
  feat but using metalchemponents increases the 
  casting time of a spell as if the spell were being 
  metamagicked spontaneously—one-action spells 
  take a full-round action to cast and full-round 
  spells take two full-round actions to cast.
  • 
  A spellcaster trained with the appropriate 
  metamagic feat can spontaneously use these to 
  cast the enhanced spell without incurring the 
  usual time penalty.
  • 
  The metalchemponents are consumed in the 
  casting of the spell. Unless otherwise indicated, 
  metalchemponents can be applied to a spell even 
  if that spell does not normally require material 
  components.
  These liquids appear in many colors, textures, and 
  viscosities. Some are watery green inks and others are 
  gritty purple pastes; still others are bright orange slime. 
  Almost all look, even to the lay person, like something 
  that was never intended by nature. Of course, alchemists 
  claim that quite the opposite is true.
  No aura; CL 13th; Create Chymicals; DC: 33; Price: 80 
  gp/1 spell’s components (Enlarge Spell or Extend Spell), 
  120 gp/1 spell’s components (Empower Spell), 250 gp/1 
  spell’s component’s (Maximize Spell)
  Misersorrow [Chymical; Special]
  Misersorrow is actually a solvent even though it was 
  originally called auric acid. Misersorrow dissolves solid 
  gold into a liquid form without reducing its weight or 
  other innate properties. It affects one pound of gold per 
  ounce, so its two-ounce ﬂask poured over gold turns two 
  pounds of solid gold (or 100 gold pieces) to its equal weight 
  in liquid form. It is extremely useful in the alchemist’s lab 
  to reduce gold or mage-gold to liquid for easy distillation 
  or other processes. If the liquid is left undisturbed for 10 
  days, it thickens and returns to its original hardness.
  Misersorrow, as packaged by most alchemists, is 
  found in two-ounce pyramidal tin bottles, though some 
  unprincipled apprentices or corrupt alchemists sell this in 
  glass jars of the same size and shape (if a client wishes to 
  throw it as a grenade-like missile). Misersorrow is most 
  often is identiﬁed by its unique containers, though the 
  clear liquid can be detected by its improbable scent of 
  seaweed and limes (DC 13 to alchemists).
  This specialized solvent is beloved by metalworkers, 
  who can immediately cast gold into molds without the 
  hassle of working over a forge (though they have to wait 
  longer for the metal to harden). Unfortunately, it has 
  become a useful tool among unscrupulous merchants 
  and counting houses to “liquefy the assets” of their rivals. 
  After all, very few people make their vaults or treasure 
  chests water-tight, and thus saboteurs throw bottles of 
  misersorrow into treasure vaults and whole fortunes 
  have dribbled away beneath the cobblestones (though the 
  money is still around, if unreachable without digging up 
  house foundations). 
  No aura; CL 2nd; Craft Chymicals; DC: 15; Price: 50 
  gp/oz.
  Mystic’s Stone [Alchana, Greater; Special]
  One of the Five Great Alchana Stones, the Mystic’s Stone 
  is favored by the red alchemists, its abilities and powers 
  matching their balanced quest of perfection in materials 
  and in being. Having the stone in hand or in contact 
  with one’s ﬂesh (as a pendant or simply strapped to the 
  skin under a shirt) provides these competence bonuses: 
  +3 to Listen and Spot checks and +2 to all Reﬂex saves. 
  The Mystic’s Stone’s primary power is to perfect and 
  strengthen materials with a touch. The stone can have the 
  following effects on a single object of up to 10 pounds per 
  round of contact:
  • 
  Regardless of statistics and points, the material 
  can now be enchanted whether it is of masterwork 
  quality or not (it is now of masterwork purity); 
  • 
  Hardness +4 or +50% (round up), whichever is 
  lesser;
  • 
  Hit Points +8 or +50% (round up), whichever is 
  greater; and
  • 
  Break DC +6 or +50% (round up), whichever is 
  lesser.
  Larger objects can be affected, whether they are heavier 
  than 10 pounds or larger than a medium-sized weapon. 
  It simply takes an additional charge per round of contact 
  per 10 pounds of material. Thus, a battleaxe or a bastard 
  sword could be improved with 1 charge, but it takes 2 
  charges to improve a greataxe or a suit of studded leather. 
  The touch of a Mystic’s Stone only works once per item, 
  so it cannot be used to incessantly improve the quality or 
  purity of an item (though said item could be subjected to 
  each of the temperant baths for further puriﬁcation and 
  enhancements). 
  The Mystic’s Stone is a yellow hardstone with ﬂecks 
  of white and silver in it, similar to a yellow granite. If the 
  Stone is used passively for skill and save bonuses, it loses 
  Chapter 7
  
  87
  no power. However, using it to purify and strengthen 
  materials drains its strength, and it only has 5d20 
  charges.
  No aura; CL 18th; Create Greater Alchana; DC: 40 (if 
  red alchemist), 41 (if another prestige class alchemist), 42 
  (if generic alchemist); Price: 300,000 gp (minimum)
  N’Kinnym’s Bone Balms [Unguents; Special]
  N’Kinnym did for necromancers what black alchemists 
  did for swordsmiths—he found ways to improve upon the 
  core materials with which they worked. N’Kinnym’s bone 
  balms simply increase the sturdiness of bone, whether 
  the bone is carved into a weapon or part of an animated 
  skeleton. There are ﬁve types of bone balms, each noted 
  below with their individual effects. More than one balm 
  can be in effect on a skeleton or bone item at any given 
  time, though duplicated balms do not increase the damage 
  resistance. All bone balm effects wear off after 1d8 days or 
  if the treated bones are immersed in holy water or pure 
  alcohols (splashes or diluted materials like wines have no 
  effect). 
  • 
  Corrosion Balm: This repugnant brown goo can 
  be used to coat any creature or object made of 
  bone. After it has been applied, the bones take on 
  a deep brown coloration and smell slightly acrid 
  (reduce difﬁculty checks to track by scent by 1). 
  Bones treated in this manner gain acid 
  resistance 10 against natural and 
  magical acid.
  • 
  Firewalker Balm: Appearing as a 
  viscid crimson liquid, this balm 
  can be used to coat any creature 
  or object made of bone. Once 
  applied, the bones take on a 
  deep crimson sheen and are 
  slightly warm to the touch. Bones 
  thus treated gain ﬁre resistance 
  10 against natural and magical 
  ﬂames. 
  • 
  Ice Balm: Looking like thick blue ooze, 
  this liquid gives bones and skeletons a whitish 
  coat that looks similar to a layer of hoar frost. 
  Such bones are uncomfortably cool to the touch 
  but inﬂict no damage from their temperature. 
  Bones treated with ice balm gain cold resistance 
  10 against natural and magical cold. (More than 
  one necromancer has created skull goblets treated 
  in this manner to keep drinking liquids cool.)
  • 
  Lightning Balm: Looking much like bluish 
  quicksilver, this thin, runny liquid can be smeared 
  over any creature or object made of bone. Bones 
  treated with this substance gain a slight blue tint 
  and attract dust and other particles with their 
  weak static ﬁeld. Bones that receive this balm 
  gain electricity resistance 10 against natural and 
  magical electricity.
  The bone balms are placed in leather pouches and 
  squeezed and then smeared along the surface of the 
  bone(s). Each pouch carries enough balm to treat six 
  medium-sized bone weapons or one medium-sized 
  skeleton or two small-sized skeletons. 
  N’Kinnym’s Skeletalchymical Baths  
  [Alchana; Special]
  Like the temperant baths (see below), N’Kinnym’s 
  skeletalchymical baths are not portable items but large 
  tubs of chymicals usually found in a laboratory. As the 
  next step beyond his previous work with bone balms, 
  N’Kinnym created full chymical immersives whose effects 
  would permanently enhance and change the structure and 
  integrity of bone.
  Found in 20-gallon tubs, the skeletalchymical baths are 
  ﬁlled with aqua metallorum and various other chymicals, 
  plus substances more common to necromancy. After 
  treatment, bones take on a somewhat sparkling, metallic 
  look. Their composition and weight remain the same, but 
  the bones are able to withstand stresses as if they were 
  made of steel. For objects, this means they gain a Hardness 
  of 10 with 30 hit points/inch of thickness. If applied to 
  skeletons that have been or will be made undead, this 
  treatment grants a +5 to its Hardness and natural armor. 
  The touch of a rust monster has no effect on bones 
  treated by this method, as they are neither quite bones nor 
  quite metal. In fact, this in-between status affords animated 
  skeletons one ﬁnal beneﬁt: these baths boost their hit dice 
  in terms of turning undead. Each treated skeleton adds 1 
  additional hit die to his total when comparing against a 
  cleric’s or paladin’s turning check to determine how many 
  are turned. 
  The skeletalchymical baths are always 
  found in 20-gallon bathtubs, which can easily 
  accommodate a fully assembled medium-
  sized animated skeleton. If bones are placed 
  loosely into the tubs before assembly and 
  animation, the bones of four medium-sized 
  skeletons could be treated simultaneously. 
  Likewise, 
  two 
  assembled 
  or 
  eight 
  disassembled small-sized skeletons could 
  be treated, as could a dozen carved bone 
  weapons of medium size or smaller (or 3 
  large bone weapons).
  No aura; CL 16th; Perfect Materials; DC: 36; 
  Price: 12,000 gp/5 gallon
  Oil of Ichorage [Unguent/Toxin; Special]
  This oddly named oil is utterly harmless if touched, eaten, 
  or sprayed onto items. If it is exposed to blood (whether by 
  contact or injury), the oil becomes highly acidic and causes 
  immense burning in blood and in connected muscles and 
  skin. Its initial activation creates a lot of heat and can 
  permanently damage muscles, so the ﬁrst Fort save (DC 
  18) must be successful to prevent the permanent loss of 1 
  point of Strength. The “ichorage” also induces 1d8 points 
  of damage per round for 1d4 rounds, unless the character 
  makes a successful Fort save (DC 18) each round for the 
  duration. Unless magically healed, oil of ichorage leaves 
  angry red welts as permanent scars at its wound points.
  No aura; CL 12th; Craft Toxin, Craft Unguent; DC: 28; 
  Price: 225 gp/oz.
  Oil of Suppleather [Unguent; Special]
  Oil of Suppleather keeps leather goods and armor supple 
  and useful under extreme temperatures. One treatment 
  with this oil protects the leather item for a year, and 
  each dose is enough to treat three pairs of boots, a suit of 
  leather armor, or a cloak. The primary game effect of this 
  Catalog Herbala
  
  88
  oil provides a Fort save for the protected leather versus 
  major damage by cold (and ice) and heat (and ﬁre). The oil 
  also reduces personal damage by -1 per die (to a minimum 
  of 2 per die) from cold/ice or ﬁre/heat effects if used on 
  leather armor or cloaks.
  No aura; CL 4th; Craft Unguent; DC: 18; Price: 800 
  gp/4 oz
  Oozebane dust [Powder; Special]
  Oozebane dust crystallizes the moist surface of most 
  oozes, and most recoil instinctively from contact with it. 
  It acts as an acid against any and all ooze types but does 
  not kill, so if used as a grenade like missile, it incurs 1d8 
  points of damage per round for 1d3 rounds (1d4 points 
  if an ooze only incurs splash damage rather than direct 
  impact). This dust is most effective as a barrier against 
  moving oozes—pour it onto the ground in a line and it 
  will stop the movement of any ooze over that line, as 
  each round of contact induces 1d8 points of damage (thus 
  stopping the advance of a gelatinous cube down a hallway, 
  for example). A line of oozebane dust lasts for up to three 
  rounds of sustained contact (as in a thrown vial) or three 
  separate contacts (if poured on the ground). 
  No aura; CL 7th; Craft Powders & Dusts; DC: 28; Price: 
  700 gp/2 oz.
  Orc’s Drool Acid [Chymical; Special]
  Despite its strange name (another popularism that 
  overwrote its original name of botanic acid), orc’s drool 
  acid is effective and useful for all the races. The acid 
  speciﬁcally targets plant matter, both living and dead, and 
  reduces such by 5 points of Hardness and 10 hit points per 
  round of exposure (and per full ﬁve-ounce bottle used). 
  Thus, a standard wooden door could be entirely dissolved 
  with a direct hit by a bottle of orc’s drool. If this acid 
  directly hits a plant creature (including kin o’ the green 
  of second stage or beyond), it deals 1d8 points of damage 
  per round until washed away (1d2 points per round if hit 
  by splash). 
  This acid, which smells of honey and fresh walnuts 
  and is notable for its effervescence, comes in brown 
  ceramic ﬁve-ounce bottles, some craftsmen even carving 
  or molding the bottles to appear as small orcs’ heads. 
  The acid gained its name as one of the more common 
  acids and chymicals created by learned orcs and other 
  barbaric cultures. It is used as a highly effective defoliant 
  but its more common use comes in battling elves, ruining 
  their carved artwork and homes, and destroying bows 
  and other wooden weapons. 
  No aura; CL 2nd; Craft Chymicals; DC: 15; Price: 100 
  gp
  Philosopher’s Stone  
  [Alchana, Greater; Special]
  The most famous of the Five Great Alchana Stones, the 
  Philosopher’s Stone is the ultimate creation of alchemy—
  the stone that can turn common metals into mage-metals, 
  the most perfect metals in the worlds! Like the other 
  Alchana Stones, there are abilities gained simply by 
  carrying the stone next to one’s ﬂesh (most often on a 
  chain like an amulet or pendant): +2 on all saving throws. 
  The Philosopher’s Stone’s primary power, though, is to 
  change base metals into mage-metals (either mage-silver 
  or mage-gold). 
  If placed in contact with any metal or metallic item, the 
  Stone merely needs to be directed to transform the item 
  into pure mage-silver or pure mage-gold. See the table 
  below for conversion rates and times. The Philosopher’s 
  Stone cannot change the nature of magically enchanted 
  metals, so only nonmagical metals can be affected by the 
  stone.
  The Philosopher’s Stone is a jet black stone with 
  infrequent sparkles within that remind many of a starry 
  night. Those sparkles reﬂect how much power (and how 
  many charges) remain within the Philosopher’s Stone. 
  As a saving throw bonus provider, it can be operable 
  for centuries. If its strength is used to transform metals 
  into mage-gold, a Philosopher’s Stone only carries 5d20 
  charges for such uses. 
  Add one additional die roll of time per each additional 
  10 pounds of material the Philosopher’s Stone is 
  affecting.
  Like the Healer’s Stone creating an elixir, there is 
  a danger in interrupting or halting the process of the 
  Philosopher’s Stone. Should the stone break contact with 
  the metal item before the process is complete, the metals 
  become base lead regardless of their original nature and 
  the charges are still lost. Also, after transforming metals to 
  mage-metals, a Philosopher’s Stone must rest (or only use 
  its passive saving throw bonuses) for as many days as it 
  took to perform the conversion.
  Many have realized that it is better to have a 
  masterworked steel weapon transformed into mage-gold 
  and then enchanted than it is to transform raw metals and 
  then forge and shape the mage-gold later. Just remember 
  that pure mage-silver weapons weigh 10% more than their 
  norms and mage-gold weapons are 20% heavier (making 
  a longsword 5 pounds instead of 4). Still, given the mage-
  metals’ beneﬁts, it is not surprising that most choose to 
  craft an item in good steel and then transform it to the 
  purity of mage-gold before enchanting it, for the greatest 
  possible weapons and items possible. 
  No aura; CL 20th; Create Greater Alchana; DC: 43 (if 
  black alchemist), 44 (if another prestige class alchemist), 
  45 (if generic alchemist); Market Price: 350,000 gp 
  (minimum)
  Table 26: Bone Balm Type
  Bone Balm Type
  CL
  DC
  Market Price
  Cost to Create
  Acid/corrosion
  10
  23
  315 gp/2 oz. bag
  4,900 gp/4 pounds
  Fire
  11
  25
  350 gp/2 oz. bag
  5,400 gp/4 pounds
  Ice/Cold
  11
  25
  340 gp/2 oz. bag
  5,400 gp/4 pounds
  Lightning
  12
  27
  375 gp/2 oz. bag
  5,900 gp/4 pounds
  Faint abjuration; CL See above; Craft: Alchemy, Craft Chymicals or Craft Unguents, resist elements; DC: See above; Price: See above
  Chapter 7
  
  89
  Catalog Herbala
  
  90
  Philter of the Pack [Ingestible; Special]
  This philter of herbs, chymicals, and animal pheromones 
  produces an effect identical to the Wild Empathy ability 
  of a druid. Wild and domesticated animals recognize the 
  imbiber as one of their own rather than as potential prey 
  or a threat, and the imbiber is considered a 10th level druid 
  for Wild Empathy checks if he doesn’t have any levels 
  of druid. If he does, the philter adds +10 to the roll. The 
  effects of this philter last for 1d12 hours.
  No aura; CL 6th; Brew Ingestible; DC: 30; Price: 225 
  gp/2 oz.
  Philter of the Predator [Ingestible; Special]
  Like the Philter of the Pack, this mix of herbs and chymicals 
  and animal blood produces a scent on the imbiber, but 
  this one induces fear in wild animals. For 1d12 hours 
  after consuming this philter, any animals view the person 
  as having the Frightful Presence special ability. Also, 
  the person’s scent marks him or her as an aggressor, so 
  Charisma is reduced by 2 points for the duration when 
  dealing with humanoids and sentient magical beasts. 
  No aura; CL 5th; Brew Ingestible; DC: 25; Price: 180 
  gp/2 oz.
  Philter of Wildscent [Ingestible; Special]
  The Philter of Wildscent neutralizes the normal scent 
  of a person and instead has his or her perspiration and 
  skin smelling like fresh pine and cedar and other natural 
  woodland scents. Animals can no longer scent the person 
  or track him or her by scent. This also reduces Tracking 
  checks (-4) against this person and increases their Hide 
  checks (+4) in woodlands. Both of these are circumstance 
  modiﬁers. The effect lasts for 1d8 hours. 
  No aura; CL 6th; Brew Ingestible; DC: 30; Price: 900 
  gp/8 oz.
  Polish of Vigor [Unguent; Special]
  The ultimate achievement among those who specialize in 
  unguents, the polish of vigor animates nonliving objects 
  with a permanent semblance of life. After liberally coating 
  an object (up to medium-size with one jar, two jars for 
  large, three or more for huge and beyond) with the polish of 
  vigor, it takes 2d12 hours for the polish to thoroughly soak 
  into the object and work its alchemical and herbal effects. 
  The object so “invigorated” should now be considered an 
  animated object (see Monster Manual for details). 
  No aura; CL 15th; Craft Unguent, Grow Swathe; DC: 
  35; Price: 15,000 gp/jar
  Potion of Delayed Miscibility  
  [Ingestible; Special]
  The user can drink this nonmagical potion while another 
  potion is already in effect. He can then drink a third 
  potion and its effects will not be visited upon his person 
  until 1d2 rounds after the ﬁrst potion’s effects have ended. 
  This alchemical potion merely prevents any miscibility 
  problems, internally or magically.
  No aura; CL 13th; Brew Ingestibles, Brew Potion; DC: 
  33; Price: 300 gp/1 oz.
  Potion of Extension [Ingestible; Special]
  The user can drink this nonmagical potion while under 
  the inﬂuence of a magical potion to add 50% more time to 
  the duration of the extant potion’s effects. This alchemical 
  potion (inert by itself) interacts with the chymicals of the 
  original potion to retain and restore their magical energy. 
  This potion does not extend the durations or effects of 
  nonmagical potions.
  No aura; CL 14th; Brew Ingestible or Brew Potion; DC: 
  35; Price: 300 gp/1 oz.
  Powder of Climbing [Powder; Special]
  When blown onto a surface, the simply named powder of 
  climbing absorbs moisture, oils and other surface hazards 
  and makes a wall or surface easier to climb. This powder 
  simply provides an added +2 circumstance bonus to a 
  Climb check. 
  No aura; CL 4th; Craft Powders & Dusts; DC: 16; Price: 
  200 gp/oz.
  Ptarl’s Lurking Menace  
  [Ingestible/Toxin; Special]
  Ptarl’s Lurking Menace is a toxin that can be added to 
  any and all potions during creation or added as a powder 
  and mixed into an already made potion. As long as the 
  magic is active (either in the bottle or after ingestion), 
  nothing happens. When the potion’s effects wear off or if 
  dispel magic (cast on the potion or potion-user) succeeds 
  in canceling the magical effects, the menace interacts with 
  the base ﬂuid and becomes a virulent poison. The victim 
  must make an immediate Fortitude save (DC 14) or suffer 
  1d8 points of damage and severe nausea for a full round. 
  After that, the victim must continue to make successful 
  Fort saves versus the poison (DC 15 each) or suffer 1d4+1 
  points of damager per round over the next 2d4 rounds.
  Adding the Lurking Menace to nonmagical ingestibles 
  is useless, as the toxin is generated by an alchemical 
  interaction with the magical energies of the potion. Also, 
  the only potions this cannot be effectively added to are 
  those storing Healing domain spells.
  No aura; CL 11th; Brew Ingestible, Craft Toxin; DC: 
  22; Price: 350 gp/1 oz.
  Ptarl’s Potion of Patient Vengeance  
  [Ingestible/Toxin; Special]
  An advanced form of Ptarl’s Lurking Menace, Ptarl’s 
  Potion of Patient Vengeance mimics the effects of any one 
  potion as per normal. However, should the imbiber use 
  any other ingested magics or alchemical or herbal drinks 
  (i.e. potions or ingestibles) within the next 12 hours, the 
  residues from this potion turns the magical ﬂuid into 
  acids that inﬂict 1d8 pts of damage per Caster Level of 
  the mimicked potion. Those so wounded may make a 
  Fortitude save (DC 18) for half damage. 
  Variable aura; CL 12th; Brew Ingestible or Brew Potion, 
  Craft Toxin, knowledge of potion’s spell; DC: 27; Price: 
  400 gp/potion
  Putty of Heavy Air [Chymical; Special]
  This pea-green putty, when used as a material component, 
  makes fog and mist spells less prone to dispersal by wind. 
  The putty fortiﬁes the vaporous effects so that it takes 
  wind force one category more severe than normal to 
  Chapter 7
  
  91
  disperse it. (See Wind Effects in the DMG for wind force 
  categories.) Usually this means that a strong wind (21+ 
  mph) disperses the fog in 4 rounds and a severe wind (31+ 
  mph) disperses the fog in 1 round. The spells that can be 
  affected by putty of heavy air are: obscuring mist, fog cloud, 
  solid fog, and acid fog. The putty affects all of these spells 
  equally; a speciﬁc spell does not have to be chosen when 
  the putty is concocted.
  Faint conjuration; CL 4th; obscuring mist; DC: 16; Price: 
  32 gp/oz.
  Ranyam’s Mirror Paste [Unguent; Special]
  Ranyam’s Mirror Paste is a relatively new creation, but 
  one that has many portrait painters, spies, and nobility 
  simultaneously up in arms and rejoicing in its use. In 
  short, this viscous unguent (like the far older Hyur’s 
  Paint) records images it is exposed to and holds them 
  in a slightly ﬂexible medium as the paint or paste dries. 
  This translucent paste is smeared or painted onto a mirror 
  in darkness and prepared using darkvision. The treated 
  mirror is then hung in a room—three seconds after being 
  exposed to light, the photosensitive paste dries, holding 
  the image reﬂected by the mirror perfectly in its slightly 
  ﬂexible resin. Thus, whatever is directly reﬂected by the 
  mirror is what can be seen in the image recorded by the 
  mirror paste. 
  That image can be peeled off and rolled up into a 
  scroll, depending on the size of the mirror. Each jar of 
  mirror paste can be spread over a four-foot-square mirror, 
  so larger mirrors require more jars of paste. Naturally this 
  paste comes in opaque black ceramic jars to protect its 
  contents from exposure to light and air. While it appears 
  like a glistening grey unguent to human eyes, those who 
  view this paste with darkvision see it glow with a slight 
  purple translucence, which makes it easy to use under 
  darkvision. To human eyes, the paste spreads easily and 
  is perfectly clear after being spread upon a mirror, but 
  to those who look carefully with darkvision (Spot check 
  DC25), they can spot the luminescence in the dark and 
  may avoid activating the alchemical trap.
  While it is useful in the short term for portrait painters 
  to have a reference image of a subject, the resins do not 
  age well and crumble to dust within two years unless 
  otherwise treated and preserved. Its most common usage 
  among the nobility is to strategically place treated mirrors 
  in dark bedrooms in order to catch images of intruders 
  when they ignite a light source. 
  Faint illusion; CL 7th; Craft Unguents, mirror image; 
  DC: 23; Price: 375 gp/2 oz
  Royalscar [Chymical/Toxin; Special]
  This chymical, if injected into a person by a weapon’s 
  blade or simply poured into an open oriﬁce or wound, 
  causes instant paralysis of the entire body for 1d4 hours 
  (Fort save DC 22). It can also cause permanent damage 
  to the nerves and muscles (1d2 points of Constitution 
  damage if 2nd Fort save (DC 18) failed). For the amount 
  of toxin, it is very expensive, but the effects from such a 
  small dosage make it effective (although they also make 
  it difﬁcult to administer). Lastly, the location where the 
  poison enters the person’s system gains a permanent taint 
  or scar in livid red-purple (thus its name).
  This poison is often used on arrows. The assassins’ 
  guild uses it, not so much to assassinate as to show how 
  easy it is to render rulers helpless (the permanent scars and 
  damage remind them of the guild’s power forevermore).
  No aura; CL 5th; At least on rank in Craft (Alchemy) or 
  Profession (Herbalist); DC: 18; Price: 120 gp/0.25 oz.
  Saragun’s Blackout Oil [Unguent; Special]
  Saragun Blackout Oil douses normal and magical ﬂames 
  and lights upon contact, making it a highly useful product 
  for thieves and ﬁreﬁghters alike. This greasy black liquid is 
  icy-cold to touch, and it snuffs out normal ﬁres or torches 
  upon impact or splashing. It can cancel out magical ﬁres 
  if their caster level is lower than its caster level. If used 
  as a weapon directly against Fire-related creatures, it acts 
  as a contact poison or acid of extreme cold, inﬂicting 1d6 
  points of damage on impact (save for half) or 1d4 
  if only contacted within the splash zone. 
  Saragun’s blackout oil is commonly packaged 
  in one-ounce glass globes for use as hand- or 
  sling-propelled grenades (use grenade-like 
  missiles rules), though it can also be purchased 
  in glass or metal vials and poured out. Many 
  richer cities use blackout oil to douse ﬁres if 
  conventional methods fail to stop them. 
  No aura; CL 7th; Alchemy, Craft Unguent; 
  DC: 21; Price: 210 gp/oz.
  Saragun’s Condensor [Chymical; Special]
  Saragun’s Condensor is a chymical which can be mixed 
  with any magical potion to condense that potion to a 
  tincture (1 oz. potion to 0.25 ounce tincture). As a tincture, 
  the potion delivers the same effects with a dosage of 2 
  drops, but only for 20% of its normal duration (minimum 
  of 1 round or instantaneous, depending on the spell). The 
  beneﬁt is that the potion can now be used in tincture form 
  in 2d3 doses of 2 drops each.
  One of the drawbacks of Saragun’s Condensor is that 
  it does not reduce curative potions—it destroys them and 
  renders them inert without delivering their effects. Also, 
  if any person takes a second dose while the previous 
  dose’s effects are still active, they suffer 1d4 points each 
  of normal and subdual damage (no save) as their body is 
  shocked by an overdose of magic and chymicals. Despite 
  the damage, the dose will deliver the effects of the tincture 
  as per above.
  No aura; CL 14th; Brew Ingestible; DC: 29; Price: 75 
  gp/ 0.25 oz.
  Saragun’s Pendant  
  [Wondrous Item; Magical]
  This metal pendant looks like a small round amulet of 
  golden glass shaped into an eight-spoked wheel, with a 
  bottle neck at the top, between the chains. The pendant 
  can, like a bag of holding, store up to eight potions, elixirs, 
  erlixirs, or any ingestible creation in an extradimensional 
  space without needing separate bottles. All the wearer 
  needs to do is touch the pendant, whisper the name of the 
  ingestible he or she wishes to drink, and then drink from 
  the pendant’s neck to imbibe a full dose of whatever he or 
  she requested. The pendant itself appears to ﬁll up with a 
  liquid when activated—it is necessary to drain the pendant 
  before any more of the liquid can materialize, so drinking 
  a potion may take several swigs.
  Not a major magical item, Saragun’s pendant still ﬁnds 
  much use among potion peddlers and some healers who 
  Catalog Herbala
  
  92
  like to safely store numerous healing draughts. Still 
  others use it to magically store away water, as it can be 
  immersed in water and store a quart of water in each of 
  the extradimensional slots normally reserved for potions. 
  Saragun’s pendant can identify what is being poured into it 
  and allots the appropriate amount of space to it. All that’s 
  necessary is to touch a drop of it to the neck of the pendant, 
  and the neck automatically expands so that liquids can be 
  poured in without spilling. 
  No aura; CL 8th; Craft Wondrous Item; DC: —; Price: 
  2,000 gp.
  Saragun’s Temperant Bottle  
  [Alchana/Wondrous Item; Magical]
  Saragun’s Temperant Bottle is one of Saragun the Alchemist’s 
  last creations, and one of his few magical items. This 
  item can produce one temperant paste every 48 hours 
  (one ounce every 24 hours, so 2 days for a full dose) or 
  it can produce a minor or lesser temperant bath once a 
  month (see below for both). At most, the bottle produces 
  one gallon of temperant liquid per day, so producing a 
  temperant bath usually requires it to be left to its creation 
  in a vat or bathtub large enough to hold the ﬂuids and keep 
  them from draining away. See the rules under Temperant 
  Baths for the amounts needed to temper various and 
  sundry items.
  Saragun’s temperant bottle looks like a small triangular 
  bottle with wide rounded edges and a ﬂat bottom. While 
  the bottle is of variable colors, the neck of the bottle always 
  has black, red, and white rings (in that order) running 
  from the top to the base and symbolizing the schools of 
  alchemy. Also, while still of hard glass, the bottom of the 
  bottle seems ﬂexible and allows the user to help push or 
  pour the contents out of the temperant bottle more easily.
  No aura; CL 14th; Craft Wondrous Item, Create 
  Alchana, Perfect Materials; DC: —; Price: 28,000 gp.
  Satrian’s Wildernessalve [Unguent; Special]
  Satrian’s Wildernessalve acts as a visual and olfactory 
  camouﬂage for those within the wild. It duplicates the 
  effects of the Philter of Wildscent (see above) for its duration 
  of 1d8 hours, but it also provides a +4 circumstance bonus 
  to Hide checks in wild areas. Each dose is enough to coat 
  the skin of a medium-sized being or two small beings, 
  and it must be applied to living skin, not items, clothes, 
  or armor.
  No aura; CL 8th; Craft Unguent; DC: 24; Price: 300 
  gp/4 oz.
  Siege Salts [Alchana; Special]
  Siege salts were created speciﬁcally for castle siege combat, 
  or more particularly for siege defense. These work best 
  when they can be implemented strategically (poured 
  down murder holes or sprinkled out an arrow loop on 
  someone scaling the walls), though they also have their 
  uses in other ways. Siege salts can be ﬂung by hand by 
  opening the standard-sized pouch and swinging the arm 
  wide, scattering the crystals in a ﬁve-foot-radius semicircle 
  centered on the person, similar to the area of effect of a 
  burning hands spell. Once the siege salts are scattered or 
  placed, all it takes is water (as little as rain or a wineskin 
  of water sprayed across the salted area) to activate their 
  alchemical powers. See below under individual salt types 
  for effects. 
  Blindness: This siege salt sizzles on the ground after 
  being catalyzed by water and unleashes an invisible gas 
  for 1d4 rounds. Anyone within the area of effect must 
  make successful Fort saves vs. DC 16 (each round within 
  the cloud) or go blind for 1d20 rounds for each failed 
  save.
  Burning: This siege salt erupts in ﬂames when contacted 
  by water, betraying the sulphur and phosphorous in its 
  construction. Any within the area of effect suffer 1d4 points 
  of ﬁre damage, and the ﬁres can ignite other ﬂammable 
  materials within that area.
  Drying: This siege salt is the most passive siege salt 
  but has proven useful enough for roving guard patrols 
  to carry a supply. When scattered, salts of drying absorb 
  up to a gallon of water per square foot (usually removing 
  standing water and drying the earth beneath it) within 
  the area of effect. In effect, these salts ﬁrm up and harden 
  mud, allowing armies on the march to keep their wagons 
  from getting stuck. 
  Fog: This siege salt, when exposed to water, dissolves 
  into thick fog. As this salt emits the same amount of fog 
  regardless of its placement, this is best poured in one spot 
  so that the fog grows from this central point after water 
  is poured on it. One pound of fog salt creates enough fog 
  to ﬁll a ﬁfty-foot-radius globe around the starting point. 
  If scattered and then watered, fog will ﬁll up the room in 
  which the salts are scattered. The fog salts dissolve after 
  two rounds but the mists dissipate normally only after 1d4 
  additional rounds. This salt is also useful for catapulting 
  ahead of troops on the move, to hide reinforcements or 
  simply to block the sight lines of enemy archers.
  Slumber: This siege salt, like the Blind and Fog salts, 
  dissolves into an effective gas, though this cloyingly sweet 
  green mist only rises up to ten feet above the ﬂoor from 
  which the salts are scattered. Victims within the area of 
  effect must make a Fort save (DC 16) or fall unconscious 
  and asleep for 1d3 hours per round of breathing the 
  slumber salt mists. The mists dissipate two rounds after 
  Table 27: Siege Salts
  Siege Salts Type
  CL
  DC
  Market Price
  Cost to Create
  Blindness
  6
  22
  1,120 gp/1 pound
  11,200 gp/20 pounds
  Burning
  7
  24
  1,240 gp/1 round
  12,400 gp/20 pounds
  Drying
  4
  18
  880 gp/1 pound
  8,800 gp/20 pounds
  Fog
  5
  20
  1,000 gp/1 pound
  10,000 gp/20 pounds
  Slumber
  5
  20
  1,000 gp/1 pound
  10,000 gp/20 pounds
  No aura; CL See above; Craft: Alchemy, Create Alchana; DC: See above; Price: See above
  Chapter 7
  
  93
  activation, allowing defenders to enter the area and 
  abduct, rob, or kill their sleeping victims. This siege salt, 
  above all others, has become a favorite among kidnappers, 
  who ﬁnd private dining areas and toss slumber salts into a 
  water goblet or soup to knock out their prey. (This method 
  only uses a few pinches of siege salt, allowing rogues to 
  get about eight such uses out of each pouch.) 
  Silentscent Powder [Powder/Toxin; Special]
  Always bottled in a tiny purple glass tube shaped like a 
  screaming humanoid face, silentscent powder is an inhaled 
  toxin blown into the face of a victim. The inhaled dust 
  deadens their vocal cords and tightens the throat, making 
  it impossible to speak or use any vocal abilities, assuming 
  the person fails the Fort save (DC 18). This powder can 
  also induce unconsciousness, if a person fails a second 
  Fort save (DC 18) and passes out for 1d12 minutes due to 
  throat constriction and lack of air.
  While seemingly harmless to most, wizards (and 
  politicians) fear this toxin as it robs them of their source of 
  power—their voices. Over the centuries, many have died 
  in wizards’ duels as a hired assassin blew this powder 
  into a contestant’s face just before the duels were to begin, 
  rendering the spellcaster powerless. 
  No aura; CL 4th; Craft Toxin; DC: 17; Price: 265 gp/
  oz.
  Skinfernal Powder [Powder/Toxin; Special]
  Skinfernal Powder causes living skin or hide to 
  immediately erupt in bright red boils and weeping sores, 
  the pus of which is highly pungent (Fort save vs. DC 16 
  twice or suffer ﬁrst 1d4 points lost from Cha, then another 
  2d4 points). The powder cannot be washed away with 
  water (only alcohol) and only takes a partial action to 
  administer by blowing onto someone’s face or exposed 
  skin. Even if a person has little exposed skin, the rash 
  and boils spread quickly to anywhere touched (hands if 
  used to brush off powder, slight amounts falling from 
  hair down into clothes or armor, etc.). If this powder gets 
  in the eyes, there is a chance of blindness (Fort save as 
  above but at DC 14) for 1d4 minutes. While the powder 
  may be washed off by alcohol, any failed saves result in 
  the boils and sores, which take up to three days to clear up 
  naturally (Charisma point losses return at the rate of one 
  point per six-hour span).
  This powder comes in a small red glass tube with an eye 
  carved on its stopper. Corporeal living creatures immune 
  to this powder’s effects are dragons, elementals, fey, 
  oozes, plants, and reptilian creatures. Undead creatures 
  and constructs are likewise immune to its effects, as they 
  are not alive.
  No aura; CL 3rd; Craft Toxin; DC: 16; Price: 225 gp/
  oz.
  Smolder Bottle [Alchana; Special]
  The alchemical balance between a smokestick and the 
  magical eversmoking bottle, a smolder bottle is more closely 
  related to sophic ﬁre, though that is ﬁre without smoke 
  while this produces smoke without ﬁre. When opened, 
  this thin but heavy green glass bottle produces thick 
  billows of opaque smoke. It ﬁlls a ten-foot cube within 
  one round, continuing to pump out more smoke if left 
  unstoppered until it ﬁlls a maximum radius of thirty feet 
  cubed around itself. The smoke dissipates naturally only 
  after the bottle is resealed. If left unstoppered, the smolder 
  bottle produces and maintains its maximum amount of 
  smoke for 1,000 hours, until it exhausts the chymical gel 
  inside of it.
  No aura; CL 3rd; Create Alchana; DC: 18; Price: 2,100 
  gp/2 oz. bottle
  Sophic Fire [Alchana; Special]
  Contained in a small hand-sized (5” diameter) clay pot 
  with an airtight lid, sophic ﬁre is a constantly volatile 
  chymical ﬁre that burns without smoke and does not heat 
  the sides of the pot. Still, anything ﬂammable inserted 
  into the pot will burn, so it is useful for lighting torches 
  or igniting wet wood for a campﬁre or merely to provide 
  a small amount of light. All it needs is the merest spark to 
  ignite and it will burn for up to 1,000 hours.
  While hardly as ﬂashy or combat-ready as many 
  alchemical creations, sophic ﬁre is a highly useful and 
  desirable item. If the jar is cracked or the lid is not sealed 
  tight, the chymical gel within the pot dries out into a hard 
  resin that is then only useful as spell components for ﬁre-
  based spells (1d3 spells). 
  No aura; CL 3rd; At least on rank in Craft (Alchemy); 
  DC: 17; Price: 2,000 gp/2 oz. “ﬁrepot”
  Sorcerer’s Stone [Alchana, Greater; Special]
  The last of the Five Great Alchana Stones, the Sorcerer’s 
  Stone is most often sought by non-alchemists for its 
  wizardly beneﬁts and its abilities to manipulate magics. 
  Like the others, wearing the Sorcerers’ Stone next to one’s 
  skin provides some bonuses without cost: in this case, a 
  +5 circumstance bonus to Spellcraft and counterspelling 
  checks. Its active power allows it, when touched to an item, 
  to absorb one charge from a charged magical item (wand, 
  staff, rod, ring, etc.) in a round. In the round following, 
  the Sorcerer’s Stone returns that charge as 1d4+1 charges, 
  restoring and reviving more than magnifying the magical 
  energies of the item. 
  The Sorcerer’s Stone is a purple translucent stone 
  akin to a glowing amethyst, its color and shining surface 
  suggesting how much power it holds. If the item is used 
  only to boost Spellcraft and counterspells, it can last an 
  eternity. If it’s used to recharge magical items, each charge 
  costs one charge from the Sorcerer’s Stone, which holds 
  5d20 charges. This is by far the quickest way to recharge 
  magical items, and thus it is widely sought by mages and 
  sorcerers alike.
  No aura; CL 19th; Create Greater Alchana; DC: 42 (if 
  red alchemist), 43 (if another prestige class alchemist), 44 
  (if generic alchemist); PPrice: 325,000 gp (minimum)
  Steelscrolls [Alchana/Scroll; Special/Magical]
  In all ways, these unpolished foil-like scrolls are identical 
  to those used for arcane spell scrolls, except for one thing—
  they are either metal crafted to work as scrolls or papyrus 
  scrolls transformed to metal. Few alchemists will reveal 
  which is true, though they are happy to make and sell 
  them. The primary reason they are worth the additional 
  expense is their reusability: each steelscroll can be used 
  2d3 times (-1 on die results for each spell level above 4th) to 
  cast the one spell enscribed upon it, instead of being used 
  up with one casting. The only restrictions are these: 
  • 
  Only one spell can be scribed onto a steelscroll. 
  Catalog Herbala
  
  94
  • 
  Only arcane spells are ever scribed onto 
  steelscrolls.
  • 
  The scroll’s spell can only be read once in a 12-
  hour period.
  • 
  It costs double the normal price to enchant or 
  scribe the spell onto the steelscroll. 
  Aside from these details, steelscrolls look and operate 
  as detailed in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. 
  No aura; CL 3rd; Scribe Scroll; DC: 17; Price: (Normal 
  cost of scroll) x2 + 100 gp
  Swatharness  
  [Swathe/Wondrous Item; Magical]
  Always bonded with a lesser swathe of holly and briar 
  roses, this leather harness has only one magical ability—it 
  can actively add to the defense of the armor (+2 natural 
  armor AC bonus) over which it is worn. The swatharness 
  crosses the chest and both shoulders and it can be removed 
  and worn by others, so it is a portable defenswathe, not 
  bonded to any one suit of armor. When it is clasped into 
  place, the thorns and holly vines spread over the wearer’s 
  chest (and release when the harness is unclasped).
  Due to its enchanted nature, the swatharness does not 
  have to worry about particular damage by ﬁre or heat, nor 
  does it have food or water needs any longer. The magic 
  sustains its life and both support the full effects of this 
  item.
  No aura; CL 10th; Grow Swathe, Craft Wondrous Item; 
  DC: —; Price: 3,000 gp.
  Swathelm [Erlcana; Special]
  This greater swathe bonds directly with the living being 
  that dons it, wrapping and weaving itself around the 
  head and under any hair. It actually pierces the scalp 
  and anchors itself to the body, inﬂicting 1d6 hit points of 
  subdual damage. Even so, many rangers and druids don 
  these leaf-helms to aid them in their travels. After bonding, 
  a swathelm grants a wearer the ability to speak with plants 
  at all times, and bonded spellcasters can use the Flourish 
  Spell feat whether they have the prerequisites or not. 
  However, any person bonded to a greater swathe requires 
  50% more water than normal (to maintain both herself 
  and her swathelm) to avoid the effects of dehydration 
  (Dungeon Master’s Guide Chapter 3).
  If the person bonded to a swathelm undergoes the 
  Greengift either by the Erlixir of Greengifting or the Cocoon 
  Swathe of Greengifting (see above), the swathelm interacts 
  with the effects of that transformation (its own effects 
  being partially linked to the process). It automatically 
  allows the person to successfully save vs. the problematic 
  effects of the transformation (i.e. no chance of choking). It 
  also advances the wearer automatically to the second stage 
  of greenkin in no more time than the initial transformation 
  should take. 
  Swathelms generally appear as tiny leaves among the 
  hair of a person, almost akin to the laurel crowns worn 
  at the temples by rulers in some lands (such as ancient 
  Rome). The swathelm does respond to the seasons, 
  producing tiny ﬂowers each spring that match the color 
  of their bond-person’s eyes (though browns tend toward 
  reddish hues in ﬂowers). 
  Faint divinationl CL 12th; Create Erlcana, speak with 
  plants; DC: 30; Price: 64,000 gp
  Swathold [Erlcana/Wondrous Item; Magical]
  A swathold acts as a bag of holding that a greater swathe can 
  enter or exit while it is open. Within it are conditions that 
  help keep the swathe alive—magical sunlight and water 
  and loam or earth. In effect, it’s a perfect environment to 
  help support a greater swathe. It cannot be used to light 
  an area, as the sunlight is only active when the swathold 
  is closed. Placing a swathe within this pouch for one hour 
  a day provides it with the necessary sustenance per day. 
  Placing any other creature or item within it only serves to 
  cover said object in mud and offers no beneﬁts other than 
  to hide up to a small-sized creature, assuming one could 
  ﬁt through the hand-sized opening of the pouch. 
  This small pouch identiﬁes itself only by its roughly 
  triangular shape and the embroidered oak tree on its front. 
  The swathold loops through the belt from behind, and has 
  a ﬂap of leather that clasps shut and becomes the crown of 
  the embroidered oak on the pouch.
  No aura; CL 10th; Grow Swathe, Craft Wondrous 
  Items; DC: —; Price: 7,500 gp.
  Tarasta’s New Day Tea  
  [Ingestible/Herbal Restorative; Special]
  Tarasta’s New Day Tea, while an herbal restorative meant 
  for tired guards and watchmen, has been hailed by many 
  as the greatest hangover cure across a dozen worlds. This 
  tea wakes up its drinkers, clears their heads, and sets 
  them on their way. Drinking four ounces of this brewed 
  tea, hot or cold, removes 1d4 points of subdual damage 
  immediately, removes all lingering side effects of minor 
  toxins (such as alcohol) from the body, and removes the 
  need for sleep for 2d8 hours. The only drawback is the 
  tea’s scent—it smells like rotten oranges and overripe 
  apples and another underlying scent close to freshly 
  tanned leather.
  Each ounce of tea leaves can brew up to ﬁve pots of tea 
  (16 oz. each), and the herb can be sold pre-brewed or cold 
  at 1gp/4 ounces of hot or cold tea.
  No aura; CL 2nd; Profession: Herbalist, Craft Herbal 
  Restorative; DC: 13; Price: 25 gp/oz.
  Tarasta’s Viscent [Unguent; Special]
  Tarasta’s Viscent is an herbal and pheremonic perfume 
  that duplicates the effects of a calm animals spell for 2d4 
  hours (or until the viscent is washed or worn off). While 
  any animal befriended thanks to the perfume may remain 
  a friend, it can also make a check vs. Animal Handling to 
  return to fully wild mode. 
  No aura; CL 6th; Craft Unguent; DC: 21; Price: 125 gp/
  oz.
  Tarasta’s Immersive  
  [Herbal Restorative/Erlcana; Special]
  Like a temperant bath for living beings, Tarasta’s ultimate 
  achievement in herbalism is the Immersive. This herbal 
  infusion bath contains liniments and herbs and tinctures 
  that activate when heated to lukewarm or warmer 
  temperatures. A client subjects himself to a water breathing 
  spell and then lies down in the bath for the next six hours, 
  breathing in and absorbing the herb-infused liquid through 
  the skin and lungs. The primary effect is the raising of three 
  ability scores by +2 each—an immersive affects either the 
  Chapter 7
  
  95
  physical stats (Str, Dex, Con) or the mental stats (Int, Wis, 
  Cha). This is an inherent bonus. 
  If anything interrupts an immersive process before the 
  full six hours have been reached, the process is a failure 
  only in that the effects are not permanent (bonuses are 
  lost within 1d12 months). Due to the potency of the herbs 
  in the bath, characters have a lifetime limit of only two 
  immersive treatments—one physical and one mental 
  ability boost each. If anyone is foolish enough to try more 
  than one of each kind, they lose any beneﬁts previously 
  gained by immersives and must make 3 successful Fort 
  saves (DC 21) or die from the shock to the bodily system.
  Faint transmutation; CL 18th; Craft Herbal Restorative, 
  Create Erlcana, water breathing; DC: 40; Price: 120,000 gp/
  bath
  Teas of the Emperor  
  [Erlcana/Wondrous Item; Magical]
  The ﬁve teas of the emperor were ﬁrst blended centuries 
  ago in a remote empire. The taking of tea was a common 
  custom in the region, and the emperor commanded his 
  wisest magic-users to create for him certain teas which 
  would produce advantageous effects. The tea leaves 
  are stored in a tea box, a small chest usually measuring 
  around 3” x 6” x 2” with a hinged lid. Each blend is stored 
  in its own particular style of box. Each tea box, moreso 
  than the tea leaves, is enchanted and holds the magical 
  effects (though the teas deliver, enhance, and reinforce 
  the effects). The recipes for each blend are traditionally 
  inscribed in Draconic on the underside of the lid, along 
  with the command words for each effect. When full, each 
  tea box contains enough tea to brew twenty cups. The 
  pourer of the tea determines the effect by uttering the 
  command word while pouring, customarily as a near-
  silent whisper or disguised in a statement of blessing. 
  Each tea can be used ﬁve times per day. Reﬁlling a tea box 
  requires a Profession (Herbalist) check (DC 21) and costs 
  one-tenth the market value in rare tea leaves.
  • 
  Tea of Strength (ornate silver tea box): cure light 
  wounds, magic fang, true strike
  • 
  Tea of Courage (ornate gold tea box): bless, mage 
  armor, remove fear
  • 
  Tea of Cunning (carved ivory tea box): change 
  self, charm person, hypnotism
  • 
  Tea of Wisdom (carved stone tea box): command, 
  message, unseen servant
  • 
  Tea of Woe (carved bone tea box): bane, cause fear, 
  inﬂict light wounds
  Faint conjuration; CL 10th; Craft Wondrous Item, 
  Profession: Herbalist, bane, bless, cause fear, change self, 
  charm person, command, cure light wounds, hypnotism, inﬂict 
  light wounds, mage armor, magic fang, message, remove fear, 
  true strike, unseen servant; DC: 21; Price: 40,500 gp per tea 
  box
  Temperant Baths  
  [Alchana, Lesser & Greater; Special]
  Temperant baths are the greatest of the common alchana, 
  as they can vastly improve any and all materials they 
  touch (they enchance the strength and integrity of the 
  materials). These are not portable items that can be 
  purchased and moved about—these are processes either 
  set up in your own personal labs or in an alchemist’s shop 
  or laboratory.
  Temperant baths are various-sized tubs (most often 
  20-gallon full-length bathtubs large enough to lay out a 
  suit of armor) ﬁlled with cloudy liquids that steam and 
  bubble and froth at all times until their work is complete. 
  If you can see clearly through the liquids in a temperant 
  bath, it is now inert and has done its work on the item 
  within the bath. 
  The temperant bath takes its time in altering the 
  composition and strength of an item within it. Therefore, 
  assume that it takes no less than a number of days equal to 
  the greatest bonus granted by the bath. Thus, lesser baths 
  take 4 days, Minor baths are 5 days long, Major baths take 
  10 days, and Prime baths take 15 days before their work 
  is done. 
  Temperant Bath Sizes
  While the assumed standard for a temperant bath is a 
  20-gallon tub, they can be made smaller to save money. 
  These are the smallest temperant baths able to affect the 
  item in question. Of course, these smaller items could be 
  placed in larger baths, so you could temper 20 daggers 
  (tiny weapons) at once in a 20-gallon tub.
  1 gallon 
  1 Tiny weapon or item
  3 gallons 
  1 Small weapon or item
  10 gallons 
  1 Medium weapon or item or shield
  15 gallons 
  1 suit of Armor, less than scale 
  20 gallons 
  1 suit of Armor greater than scale or 3 
   
   
  Large weapons or items
  Temperant Baths, Lesser [Alchana; Special]
  Lesser temperant baths are made type speciﬁc—they only 
  affect one type of substance. There are ﬁve potential lesser 
  bath types: bone or undead materials, animal hides and 
  leathers, wood and plant matter, metals, or stone.
  Temperant Bath, Pliant: These baths increase the tensile 
  and material strength of the item without sacriﬁcing its 
  ﬂexibility or extremely light weight. These baths can 
  only be set to temper wood/plant matter, leather/animal 
  matter, or metals. Bone or stone items have little or no 
  ﬂexibility and thus this type of bath is never made for 
  them. Ultimately, this allows the creation of steel-strength 
  wooden bows, leather armor as hard as steel, etc.
  Temperant Bath, Resistant: These baths—which can be 
  made for any of the ﬁve types—add damage resistance to 
  the materials. Any and all items subjected to this lesser 
  bath can ignore the ﬁrst 4 points of damage each round 
  inﬂicted by acids, cold, electricity, and ﬁre. These beneﬁts 
  extend to the wearer if armor or clothing is what’s being 
  tempered. 
  Temperant Baths, Minor [Alchana; Special]
  Minor temperant baths are also type-speciﬁc. Minor baths 
  make any worked items equal to Special/Superior items 
  in material quality, even if their workmanship is not as 
  grand. 
  Temperant Baths, Major [Alchana; Special]
  Those alchemists who learned the feat of Perfect Materials 
  can abandon the need for type-speciﬁc baths and create 
  a Major bath which tempers all materials equally. It 
  increases the material’s integrity and strength to make it 
  equal in strength to masterwork items, despite any ﬂaws 
  in workmanship. Also, items treated in a Major temperant 
  bath now have a Fort save against magical effects 
  (speciﬁcally disintegrations and the like) of +3 instead of 
  just falling apart.
  Catalog Herbala
  
  96
  Temperant Baths, Prime [Alchana, Greater; Special]
  Prime temperant baths take any materials placed within 
  their waters and make that material as pure and as close 
  to perfection as possible. In many ways, temperant baths 
  grew out of the search for the Alchana Stones and these 
  alchymical waters are as close as some get to the material 
  perfections promised by the Alchana Stones. Once 
  subjected to the waters of a prime bath, any item can be 
  enchanted with magics even if it is not a masterwork 
  item.
  Antemperant Baths [Alchana, Greater; Special]
  There are those who would undo the work of others or 
  ruin various items, and thus are born the antemperant 
  baths. Any of the temperant baths can be created as 
  an antemperant, and its effects are reversed (minor 
  antemperants reduce item hit points by 5 and reduce the 
  hardness and AC by -2, etc.). These baths work the same on 
  items treated by temperant baths and untouched by such 
  alchemy. They can, with a strong enough antemperant, 
  totally dissolve immersed items (hit points reduced to 0). 
  However, dissolving an enchanted item in antemperants 
  unleashes the magical energies, hypercharges the bath in 
  which the item dissolved, and creates an explosion of 1d12 
  per caster level x the number of gallons in the bath.
  Temperant Cascades
  When an item is exposed to more than one temperant 
  bath during its existence, it is said to have undergone a 
  temperant cascade. There are some rules and restrictions 
  to a cascade:
  Chapter 7
  
  97
  • 
  The item must be out of the ﬁrst bath for at least 
  3d12 days before it can be subjected to the next 
  bath.
  • 
  An item cannot gain any beneﬁt from lesser baths 
  after exposure to a more powerful one; thus, if 
  an item is placed in a Major bath, it cannot gain 
  anything from immersion in Lesser baths or a 
  Minor bath.
  • 
  An item can go through only one exposure to 
  any of the temperant baths during its existence. If 
  exposed a second time, no additional effects can 
  be gained. 
  For example, a regular dagger is taken thru a Minor/
  Major/Prime Bath cascade, and its stats alter as follows 
  (though it does not change in its size, weight, or damage 
  potential): 
  Dagger Status 
  Hardness 
  HP 
  Break DC
  Base/Common 10 
  1 
  18
  After Minor 
  12 
  6 
  21
  After Major 
  15 
  16 
  27
  After Prime 
  19 
  31 
  36
  After the temperant cascade, even a commonly made 
  dagger could be enchanted with magics, given that its 
  hardness nears adamantine, its hit points equal an inch-
  thick slab of mithral, and it’s easier to break down a locked 
  iron door than break this dagger. (To bring your players 
  back down to earth, this phenomenal dagger costs 14,402 
  gp (2+ 4500+4800+5100) and it still only deals 1d4 points 
  of damage.)
  Temperant Pastes [Alchana; Special]
  Smearing this dull gritty paste on an item temporarily 
  increases the hardness of the item. There are ﬁve speciﬁc 
  temperant pastes, each one for a speciﬁc type of material—
  leather (and other animal hides and products), wood 
  (and other plant matter), bone (and other dead/undead 
  matter), metals (and any reﬁned minerals), and stone (and 
  other raw ores). The affected item gains the following:
  • 
  Break DC of item increases by 25% (round up);
  • 
  Item’s Hardness rises by 1d4; and 
  • 
  Item gains +2d4 temporary hit points. 
  These beneﬁts last for only 2d4 hours. During this 
  time, these changes do not affect or change the damage 
  or armor bonuses of any items. This temporary form of 
  alchemical temperant provides battleﬁeld reinforcement 
  and bulwarking of existing materials and resources.
  Temperant pastes are packed tightly into wooden 
  tubes (though Type II comes in a ceramic tube), and the 
  pastes are spread by pushing one end of the tube and 
  smearing the ejected paste onto the item or surface to be 
  affected. A single tube (two ounces) will cover a medium-
  sized or smaller weapon or article, or a small shield. Two 
  tubes are required to cover a large or huge weapon, or a 
  large shield. Four doses of paste will cover a suit of armor, 
  a tower shield, or a standard door. Each dose requires one 
  minute to apply and another minute for its effects to set, 
  so this item is best used when expecting but not actually 
  in combat.
  Termite Paste [Unguent; Special]
  This oily and very thin paste smells strongly of cinnamon, 
  ashes, and bile all at the same time, but its effects give its 
  identity away before the odor. This near-liquid paste acts as 
  Table 28: Temperant Baths
  Temperant Baths
  HP of Item
  Break DC
  Hardness/AC bonus#
  Antemperant
  As any but bonus becomes 
  a negative penalty
  Reduce hardness of item 
  by same amounts.
  Lesser—Pliant*
  +4
  +3
  +1
   (wood, leather, metal only)
  Lesser—Resistant*
  — (see above)
  — (see above) 
  — (see above) 
  Minor* 
  +5
  +3
  +2
  Major
  +10
  +6
  +3; Fort Save +3 (item)
  Prime 
  +15
  +9
  +4; Can be enchanted
  *: These temperant baths must be created speciﬁcally for one of ﬁve types of materials: leather or animal hide, wood or plant matter, 
  bones or undead matter, metal, or stone. Thus the tub in which the bath is placed must be immune to its effects, and the immersion 
  will not affect any materials to which it is not keyed. 
  #: The increase in Hardness is also mirrored in improving the AC bonus granted by any items within this bath. These increases do 
  not incur any additional arcane armor or movement penalties despite having changed the nature of the armor.
  Temperant  Type
  CL
  DC
  Market Price
  Cost to Create
  Antemperant
  Same as below
  Same as below
  Same as below
  Same as below
  Lesser—Pliant
  12
  30
  4,200 gp/gallon
  42,000 gp/20 gallons
  Lesser—Resistant
  12
  30
  4,200 gp/gallon 
  42,000 gp/20 gallons
  Minor
  13
  32
  4,500 gp/gallon
  45,000 gp/20 gallons
  Major 
  14
  34
  4,800 gp/gallon
  48,000 gp/20 gallons
  Prime
  15
  36
  5,100 gp/gallon
  51,000 gp/20 gallons
  Prerequisites: Craft: Alchemy, Create Greater Alchana
  Catalog Herbala
  
  98
  an acid on any plant matter, especially hard wood. Termite 
  paste most often comes in a small glass globe which can 
  be thrown or ﬂung by a sling to shatter on impact and 
  unleash the paste as a grenade-like missile (impact splash 
  radius only two feet or ﬁve-feet in diameter). The contents 
  of a globe or vial are enough to fully dissolve all wood or 
  other plant material in the impact zone within one round. 
  Enchanted items with wood in them get a Fortitude save 
  against disintegration (DC 19) to avoid the effects, but 
  even on a successful save the item receives 1d4 hit points 
  of damage.
  Termite paste can also be purchased in metal vials and 
  applied with a metal-and-horsehair brush attached to the 
  cap. This form allows thieves to carefully apply it to wood 
  around a lock, in order to gain access without having to 
  pick the lock.
  No aura; CL 7th; Craft Unguent; DC: 22; Price: 150 
  gp/2 oz. vial or globe
  Throatsprout Mist [Erlcana/Toxin; Special]
  One of the few offensive herbal items, throatsprout mist 
  is a powdered mixture of seeds and herbs in a blow-bottle 
  like a powder. It affects a victim like a poison, even though 
  visually it acts differently. It is blown into the face of an 
  enemy and the effects begin at the start of the next round. 
  • 
  Make a Fortitude save vs. a DC 20 to avoid 
  nausea for 1d4 rounds and a 1d3 point loss of 
  Constitution; this all comes from the damage 
  done to the soft tissues within the eyes, throat, 
  nose, and mouth by tiny vines and plants 
  attempting to take root. 
  • 
  Tiny seedlings grow within the nasal passages 
  and throat of the victim when breathed in, 
  threatening to choke or suffocate the victim. 
  The plants may also take root around and under 
  eyelids, seeking out tears for moisture. Make a 
  second Fortitude save vs. DC 20 to avoid falling 
  unconscious and losing another 2d4 Con (the 
  toxin’s second effect).
  If a person falls unconscious due to lack of air and fails 
  the second save, there is a chance of suffocation (see rules, 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide Chapter 3). Any person suffocating 
  to death from this poison does not expel the seedlings and 
  the tiny plants take root in the corpse, using it as fertilizer 
  (and a grim reminder to not assume all druids or herbalists 
  are peace-loving pushovers). 
  No aura; CL 3rd; Craft Toxins; DC: 16; Price: 75 gp/
  oz.
  Tincture of Energy  
  [Herbal Restorative/Ingestible; Special]
  The tincture of energy provides temporary relief from 
  sleep and exhaustion for short periods of time. Ingesting 
  2 drops (2d4 doses per vial) allows a person to do without 
  sleep for 2d6 hours, although they suffer minor effects 
  (1d2 points of subdual damage). If the tincture is taken 
  more than once in a 24-hour period, the imbiber suffers 
  1d6 points of subdual damage per additional dose. This 
  subdual damage—little more than exhaustion due to lack 
  of sleep—can only be removed by total rest and normal 
  sleep. 
  No aura; CL 3rd; Craft Herbal Restorative or Brew 
  Ingestible; DC: 12; Price: 25 gp/oz
  Tisane of Bloodstrength  
  [Herbal Restorative/Ingestible; Special]
  Drinking a freshly-brewed tisane of bloodstrength restores 
  1d6 points of subdual damage in the hour following the 
  drink. Taking the moist leaves as a poultice and pressing 
  them into an open wound affords the patient an immediate 
  Fort save to cancel out any diseases or infections and a 
  Fort save at -2 against any poisons.
  No aura; CL 4th; Brew Ingestible or Craft Herbal 
  Restorative; DC: 17; Price: 15 gp/0.5 oz.
  Tonic of Topicalapse [Ingestible; Special]
  The Tonic of Topicalapse is an antidote that provides an 
  immediate Fort. Save vs. the effects of any unguents or 
  topical substances (including toxins and poisons). Thus, 
  it can be used to forcibly negate the effects of ironskin 
  powders or wildernessalves as well as negate external 
  poisons.
  No aura; CL 7th; Brew Ingestible or Craft Herbal 
  Restorative; DC: 24; Price: 95 gp/1 oz.
  Tonic of Toxinstop [Ingestible; Special]
  This drinkable antidote provides an immediate Fort save 
  with a +5 bonus vs. any poisons or toxins in the person’s 
  system. It also negates any secondary effects of a poison or 
  toxin without the need for a saving throw. 
  No aura; CL 8th; Brew Ingestible or Craft Herbal 
  Restorative; DC: 25; Price: 105 gp/1 oz.
  Tragar’s Esoterinks [Chymical; Special]
  Tragar’s haphazard learning showed him the many ways 
  and reasons why people both recorded and hid away 
  knowledge and history. Thus, he created special inks for 
  certain circumstances. While his original intent and reasons 
  have long since been lost, his name and his inks remain 
  active in the world. There 
  are ﬁve particular types 
  of inks that have been 
  labeled 
  esoterinks 
  for 
  their obscurely limited 
  uses or for their effects:
  • 
  Arcane ink: This ink 
  is a standard ink for use 
  in spellbooks or on spell 
  scrolls. While it is just 
  barely 
  different 
  from 
  mundane inks, there are 
  chymicals in the ink that 
  Table 29: Temperate Pastes
  Temperant Paste Type
  CL
  DC
  Market Price
  Cost to Create
  I: Leather & Animal Matter
  10
  27
  375 gp/2 oz. tube
  14,800 gp/5 pounds
  II: Wood & Plant Matter
  7
  24
  312 gp/2 oz. tube
  12,400 gp/5 pounds
  III: Bone & Undead Matter
  9
  26
  350 gp/2 oz. tube
  14,000 gp/5 pounds
  IV: Metal & Reﬁned Minerals
  8
  25
  325 gp/2 oz. tube
  13,200 gp/5 pounds
  V: Stone & Raw Ores 
  11
  28
  400 gp/2 oz. tube
  15,200 gp/5 pounds
  Prerequisites: Alchemy, Create Alchana, Perfect Materials.
  Chapter 7
  
  99
  interact with the magics of the spells and render 
  these writings indecipherable to those without 
  the read magic spell at hand. 
  • 
  Cryptink: This ink contains a high amount of 
  aqua metallorum and shines green-black on 
  any surface. It bleeds out greatly and seems to 
  render the text unreadable, but reading through 
  specially treated glasses allows the reader to 
  decipher the text within the cloud of excessive 
  ink.
  • 
  Darkvink: This ink does not appear at all under 
  normal lighting conditions or to the naked 
  human eye. Darkvink is a luminescent and 
  highly visible ink if viewed with darkvision 
  (though messages can only be deciphered if the 
  reader has knowledge of the language in which 
  the message is written). 
  • 
  Memorink: This midnight blue ink has a light 
  scent of blueberries and lilacs, and the scent 
  provides some links to memory. If this ink is used 
  in spellbooks, it speeds up the study times by 10% 
  and any ties to information written in memorink 
  adds a +2 circumstance bonus to any Intelligence 
  checks used to recall speciﬁc information.
  • 
  Steel ink: A black-and-quicksilver ink, this is 
  especially created for and used on steelscrolls. 
  The ink is formulated to temporarily fade 
  after one activation, but it reappears when the 
  steelscroll can next be used. 
  No aura; CL 3rd; Craft Chymicals; DC: 15; Price: 35 
  gp/oz. bottle
  Tragar’s Lotion  
  [Herbal Restorative/Unguent; Special]
  This gummy, sweet-smelling lotion is an anti-paralytic 
  agent. Spreading it on the ﬂesh of a paralyzed person 
  counteracts most paralytic effects of supernatural powers, 
  poisons or spells. However, this does not negate other 
  effects beyond loosening the muscles and skin of a 
  paralyzed person. Application provides a +2 Fort save 
  bonus vs. any lingering effects that are tied to or cause the 
  paralysis. 
  No aura; CL 6th; Craft Herbal Restorative or Craft 
  Unguent; DC: 21; Price: 80 gp/2 oz.
  Travelerswathe [Erlcana; Special]
  This greater swathe appears as a living plant wrapped 
  about its owner as a kilt, girdle, skirt, or cloak made out 
  of leaves, vines, brambles, and briars. These plants can 
  extend themselves down the bearer’s legs and project 
  hard wood stilts of a sort, providing an additional 5 
  feet the bearer’s movement rate while this “league-long 
  stride” is in effect. If allowed to root (i.e. the bearer 
  stays still), these stilts can extend up to 10 feet in height, 
  allowing a nonmagical levitation effect. It can also provide 
  a +2 circumstance bonus to Climb checks when moving 
  among trees and plants, as it’s tendrils help to support the 
  wearer’s weight.
  The travelerswathe’s primary ability (and what makes 
  it worth its cost) is its ability to tirelessly keep moving. 
  Its wearer can command it to form a stable platform of 
  living wood on which to sleep, and the living parts of the 
  plant will both hold a person (one medium-size or two 
  small-sized beings) to itself and crawl along the ground 
  at a rate of 12 feet per round in the direction ordered by 
  its owner. Wounded or unconscious characters can be 
  moved safely in this manner, as can sleeping characters, 
  and a travelerswathe wakes its passenger/owner if it 
  encounters difﬁculties. Think of it as a ﬂying carpet that 
  crawls along the ground.
  A Travelerswathe, like all greater swathes, has an 
  innate animal-level intelligence and has some loyalty to 
  its owner, provided it receives sufﬁcient sunlight, water, 
  and nourishment (either allowing it to root for up to six 
  hours a night or to absorb some decaying animal and plant 
  matter for compost nutrition once a week). 
  No aura; CL 13th; Create Erlcana; DC: 32; Price: 90,000 
  gp/travelerswathe
  Wardingswathe [Erlcana, Greater; Special]
  Unlike the other defenswathes which bond to armor or 
  shields, a Wardingswathe fuses directly with a living 
  being. The merging is quite painful and inﬂicts 1d4 hit 
  points of true damage and 2d4 points of subdual damage 
  to any persons accepting the swathe. After the pain 
  subsides, plant ﬁbers and tiny vines now live both atop 
  and beneath the skin, affording a natural armor bonus of 
  +5 at all times. In addition, the person can now duplicate 
  the effects of a barkskin spell on their companions twice a 
  day as a 10th level druid. Neither of these bonuses or effects 
  incur any arcane armor penalties or movement penalties. 
  The wardingswathe has a ﬁnal power—it can separate 
  from its bondperson and create a wall of thorns as the 5th 
  level druid spell, though separating inﬂicts the same 
  pain and damage as bonding. Also, once the wall of thorns 
  expires, so does the Wardingswathe. 
  Remember that any person bonded to a greater swathe 
  requires 50% more water than normal (to maintain both 
  herself and her swathelm) in order to avoid the effects of 
  dehydration (Dungeon Master’s Guide Chapter 3).
  No aura; CL 10th; Create Erlcana; DC: 30; Price: 60,000 
  gp
  Wildernesswathe [Swathe; Special]
  A wildernesswathe is a lighter, more particular form 
  of swathe that does not aid armor class or toughness. 
  Wildernesswathe-bonded armor shows a bramble of briars 
  across the chest, arms and legs of the armor (and oftimes 
  the boots of the wearer). The wearer gains pass without 
  trace once a day for up to an hour, and once a month can 
  use tree stride as if he or she were a 9th level ranger.
  No aura; CL 9th; Grow Swathe; DC: 27; Price: 14,400 
  gp + cost of armor
  Zarias’ Paste  
  [Herbal Restorative/Unguent; Special]
  Zarias’ Paste delivers the healing effects of a cure moderate 
  wounds spell, but only topically and only for constructs or 
  animated objects (i.e. inorganic life forms). This paste also 
  allows constructs’ limbs to be reattached and restored to 
  the main body in the same way as a mending spell.
  This paste can be stored only in specially treated bone 
  tubes and must be smeared out of one open end of said 
  tube. There is enough paste in each tube (1 oz) to cure or 
  mend damage to two small or one medium-sized object.
  No aura; CL 8th; Craft Herbal Restorative or Craft 
  Unguent; DC: 27; Price: 200 gp/1 oz
  Catalog Herbala
  
  100
  Appendix One: Monsters
  Alchemunculi are humanoid in shape, twelve to 
  eighteen inches in height, and are only slightly monstrous 
  in appearance. They share the general gender and form 
  (without genitalia) of their creators and at least a few facial 
  or bodily characteristics of the same—most often the nose 
  and eyes or hair color, despite their normal coloration 
  (noted below). Their heads and hands are slightly 
  oversized for their bodies, making them appear like one-
  foot-tall children, though their actions and attitude belie 
  that impression. Their oversized hands have elongated 
  ﬁngers with retractable claws. Alchemunculus coloration 
  depends entirely on alignment, its morality determining its 
  dominant coloring (good/white, neutral/red, evil/black) 
  and their ethics set the color of highlights, whether claws 
  and teeth, hair or eye color (law/yellow, chaos/purple). 
  Their hide is as tough as cured leather, with some scales 
  or minor plating along their musculature (mostly along 
  the torso). Their bodies in general are slim and tightly 
  muscled, the idealized musculature of their creator’s body 
  represented in miniature. The alchemunculus’ voice is 
  soft and highly-pitched, but it can speak the dominant 
  language of its creator within moments of its creation.
  Combat
  Alchemunculi tend to hide and leap out at any foes who 
  threaten their creators, attacking from odd angles (by 
  dropping down after running across a ceiling) or hiding 
  under a table and clawing at someone’s legs. They tend to 
  use their size and speed to great advantage, only remaining 
  still if safely perched on their master’s shoulder.
  Construct Traits: Alchemunculi are constructs and as 
  such are immune to mind-inﬂuencing effects, poisons, 
  disease, and similar effects. They are not subject to critical 
  hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or 
  death from massive damage.
  Leaping (Ex): The thin, wiry alchemunculus can leap 
  the following distances: running jump 6 ft; standing jump 
  3 ft; jump back 3 ft.
  Spider Climb (Ex): Due to various adhesives within the 
  chymicals for its construction, alchemunculi can move as 
  if under the effects of a spider climb at will and they move 
  at their full speed, not half speed as per the spell. 
  Toxin (Ex): The alchemunculus’ claws seep an 
  alchemical toxin: Fortitude save (DC 10); initial damage 
  nausea for 1 minute; secondary damage sleep for 1d4 
  minutes.
  Construction
  An alchemunculus costs 300 gp to create in all, from labor 
  to construction elements to spell components. While 
  alchemists usually create these creatures for their own 
  use, they may agree to craft an alchemunculus for wizards 
  willing to participate in the process (donating the blood 
  and the spellcasting) and to pay no less than 500 gp for the 
  improved alchemunculus.
  Aquas metallorum and permanens are the base liquids 
  mixed and heated in a retort with various other chymicals 
  and one fresh half-pint of the creator’s (or client’s) blood. 
  Cupellated and calcinated metals are combined with 
  other chymicals and herbs and solvents in an enclosed 
  Appendix One
  T
  hroughout the text above, there have been 
  mentions and notes of creatures and monsters 
  tied to the alchemical or herbal arts. They 
  have been compiled and deﬁned here as a 
  Construct, a Plant, and a Fey/Plant Template 
  that can be used as the baseline for a new subrace in your 
  d20 campaign world. 
  Alchemunculus
  Tiny Construct
  Hit Dice: 1d10 (5 hp)
  Initiative: +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
  Speed: 25 ft., Climb 25 ft.
  Armor Class: 17 (+3 Dex, +2 size, +2 natural)
  Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-4
  Attack: Claw +3 melee (1d2-1)
  Full Attack: 2 Claws +3 melee (1d2-1)
  Space/Reach: 2.5 ft./ 0 ft.
  Special Attacks: Leaping, Poison
  Special Qualities: Construct Traits, Spider Climb 
  Saves: Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +0
  Abilities: Str 9, Dex 16, Con —, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 8 (min.) 
  or half of creator’s abilities
  Skills: -
  Feats: Improved Initiative (innate ability)
  Environment: Any land or underground
  Organization: Solitary
  Challenge Rating: 1
  Treasure: None
  Alignment: Any (same as creator)
  Advancement: 2-4 HD (Tiny) or as familiar
  O
  ne of the hidden secrets of alchana is the 
  alchemunculus, a mostly nonmagical servitor and 
  construct for alchemists. The minuscule ﬁgures 
  act as spies, scouts, messengers, lab aides, and familiars 
  after a fashion. These constructs are far less hideous than 
  the more commonly seen homunculus, as alchemy does 
  not add in magical shortcuts or require the construct to 
  be molded out of clay ahead of time. After all, the high 
  secrets of alchemy take care of building the form from the 
  basic building blocks within the components.
  Alchemunculi, like the common homunculus, are tools 
  for the alchemist or wizard who creates them. They are 
  linked to their creator by blood, share the same alignment, 
  and have a telepathic and empathic bond between them. It 
  knows what its creator knows, and it can transmit what it 
  sees and hears to the creator within 500 yards (a boundary 
  alchemunculi are loathe to go beyond and often ﬁght 
  savagely to retreat within unless ordered otherwise). The 
  death of an alchemunculus inﬂicts 1d12 points of damage 
  upon the creator, while the death of its creator affects an 
  alchemunculus in no way (save for making it a rogue 
  construct with no master and only its own abilities and 
  limited mind to guide it). 
  
  101
  Erlmantle 
  Small Plant
  Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (6 hp)
  Initiative: +0
  Speed: 15 ft., Climb 8 ft.
  Armor Class: 13 (+2 natural, +1 size)
  Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-2
  Attack: Tendril +1 melee (1d2+1) 
  Full Attack: 2 Tendrils +1 melee (1d2+1)
  Space/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./ 5 ft.
  Special 
  Attacks: 
  Entangle, 
  Gaseous 
  Protection, 
  Improved Grab
  Special Qualities: Barkskin, Blindsight, Camouﬂage, 
  Cold Resistance 10, Plant Traits
  Saves: Fort +4, Ref +1, Will -1
  Abilities: Str 13, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 3, Wis 8, Cha 11
  Skills: -
  Feats: -
  Environment: Any forest or land 
  Organization: Solitary
  Challenge Rating: 1
  Treasure: None
  Alignment: Neutral
  Advancement: Medium (3-6 HD), Large (7-10 HD)
  S
  omeone once described the erlmantles as “a 
  mobile collection of brambles, rosebushes, and 
  ivies with the cunning and moodiness of a cat, the 
  loyalty of a dog, and the ferocity of a cornered wolf when 
  threatened.” While that hardly speaks to the true nature of 
  the erlmantle, it serves as a good general introduction to 
  this unique creature. 
  The erlmantle is a sentient bundle of living plants, 
  in effect a small herbalist’s swathe with intelligence. 
  Unlike swathes, erlmantles are constantly alive, animate, 
  and sentient. They react to situations around them and 
  their bearer (since they are almost always found as a 
  companion to an herbalist or some other nature-oriented 
  character). While erlmantles were originally only created 
  by herbalists at the peak of their craft, many erlmantles 
  have dropped seedlings that grow without a human or 
  other being with whom to bond. Thus, what might have 
  once been described as a druid or herbalist’s familiar has 
  become an amazingly hardy plant creature. 
  Depending on their mood and the surrounding 
  temperature, erlmantles can appear as they wish—a cape 
  of leaves, a bramble in harness form, a backpack of ﬂowers, 
  etc.—though they tend to keep to one primary “at-rest” 
  state, which is either to wrap around/across a human’s 
  shoulders and back like a backpack or to wrap across the 
  torso and shoulders like a harness. If choosing to move on 
  its own, erlmantles become a rustling stretch of vines and 
  bushes up to four feet long. Wild erlmantles congregate 
  toward dryads and other fey creatures, bonding to either 
  the dryad or her tree, though it is not unheard of to ﬁnd a 
  centaur or satyr with an erlmantle companion. Regardless 
  of its shape or placement, an erlmantle only weighs about 
  two pounds per hit die. 
  mold at the end of the distilling coil. The vapors from the 
  base liquids condense along the coil and slowly seep into 
  the cooling metals over the course of three days, during 
  which neither the alchemist/creator nor any participant 
  can leave. They can only work on the process, eat, sleep, 
  or talk, and they cannot miss any one of the days or the 
  creation fails. 
  On the dawn of the fourth day, other substances are 
  gathered from the creator or the person to whom the 
  alchemunculus will be bound: an ounce of tears, an ounce 
  of perspiration, eight eyelashes, three ﬁstfuls of hair (often 
  leaving the donating wizard shaved nearly or fully bald), a 
  full pint of blood, and ﬁnger- and toenail trimmings equal 
  to at least one full thumbnail (if not an entire thumbnail 
  removed for this purpose). All this is combined in a 
  purifying solvent, then sublimated under high heat. The 
  vapors from that process then drip and seep into the still-
  sealed mold for three more days.
  The creation of the alchemunculus is only completed 
  by the creator casting summon monster I upon the sealed 
  mold on the eighth day of the process. The ritual drains 50 
  XP and 1d4 hp from the caster/creator, and the alchemist 
  must successfully pass a Craft (Alchemy) skill check of DC 
  of 22 for the alchemunculus to be viable and whole. The 
  mold is opened and, if all is successful, the alchemunculus 
  emerges to begin its servitude with its creator.
  There are rumors of greater alchemunculi, crafted by 
  high practitioners of alchemy with far greater abilities 
  and powers. The most oft-repeated tale mentions an 
  alchemunculus that acts like a lich’s phylactery to store 
  the soul of its deceased master (or become fully possessed 
  by him) until such time as it can alchemically or magically 
  have its master restored. 
  Alchemunculus Familiars
  As bound servants of their creators, alchemunculi retain 
  all their standard abilities as noted herein but they also 
  gain the abilities of a familiar as noted in Chapter 3 of the 
  Player’s Handbook if the creator does not already have a 
  familiar. If he does, the rituals used in the alchemunculus 
  creation only serve to bind it to the creator as a servitor 
  (as above). 
  If bound as a familiar, the alchemunculus can gain 
  more abilities. While it already has an enhanced empathic 
  and telepathic link with its master or mistress as well 
  as vocal abilities, it gains the standard abilities slowly 
  rather than automatically. Every year on the anniversary 
  of its creation (or any time its master has gone up two 
  levels), the alchemunculus gains the next set of potential 
  improvements noted in Chapter 3 of the Player’s Handbook, 
  both in its AC, in an Intelligence increase if higher than its 
  norm, and in the special abilities, if they apply or do not 
  reduce existing abilities. The genus of animals with which 
  the alchemunculus can speak is chosen by the bonded 
  wizard. 
  Monsters
  
  102
  Erlmantles need sunlight and water as their primary 
  foodstuffs, and they sometimes absorb the perspiration off 
  their bearers to survive long trips. They can only survive 
  ﬁve times as many days as their hit dice underground and 
  away from even ambient sunlight before they begin to die. 
  Erlmantles can also absorb and digest rotting matter, from 
  dead squirrels to battleﬁeld corpses, though few bearers 
  approve of the lingering stench as it absorbs the nutrients 
  slowly over the course of a few days. 
  Combat
  Under normal circumstances, an erlmantle avoids combat 
  and attempts to hide among underbrush. If it has bonded 
  with another creature, however, it will defend that creature 
  using every ability it has. 
  Barkskin (Ex): If asked or if it chooses to do so, the 
  erlmantle spreads its vines and wraps more fully around 
  its bearer. This provides a lesser version of the barkskin 
  spell, its AC bonus equivalent only to the erlmantle’s hit 
  dice.
  Blindsight (Ex): All erlmantles register things by 
  movement, not sight. The only thing an erlmantle tends 
  to be more aware of at all times is the person or being it 
  bonds with as a bearer.
  Camouﬂage (Ex): As this is a plant, it takes a Spot 
  check (or Survival check) of DC 20 to identify an erlmantle 
  among the more normal varieties of vines, bushes and 
  undergrowth when it is not bonded to its bearer and 
  independently moving within underbrush.
  Cold Resistance 10 (Ex): All erlmantles have very 
  viscous sap veins and thick husks along their vines, no 
  matter what mixture of plants make up their construction. 
  Thus, they are hardier and can continue their activities 
  through winter, given their resistance to cold.
  Entangle (Ex): Once the erlmantle has sensed a 
  victim, the entire plant becomes active and the leaves and 
  tendrils of the vine all act as if under the inﬂuence of a 1st 
  level druid. It does not stay attached to its bearer while 
  using this power, as its own structure is the core of the 
  entangling mass.
  Gaseous Protection (Ex): Once a week, the erlmantle 
  can increase its oxygen output to a great degree for two 
  minutes total, enveloping its wearer in pure oxygen and 
  dissipating any gaseous or vaporous attacks. This adds 
  a +2 circumstance bonus to any saves against such gases 
  or provides a save where the bearer might not have one 
  otherwise. 
  Improved Grab (Ex): The erlmantle needs to land a 
  tendril attack to bring this ability to bear. It can grapple 
  up to medium-size creatures, as its mass is far greater than 
  it appears. 
  Plant traits: All erlmantles, like all plant monsters, 
  are immune to poisons, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and 
  polymorphing attacks. They are not subject to critical hits 
  or psionic or mind-affecting attacks either.
  Erlmantles do gain in size and strength over time, and 
  some can even adopt the powers of any one of the greater 
  swathes (see Chapter 7). 
  Erlmantle Bonding
  No one knows exactly how or why an erlmantle chooses 
  to bond with one particular being or person (or animal). 
  All that is known is that a bonded erlmantle is loyal unto 
  death (and sometimes beyond, with rumors of at least one 
  rotting corpse still being toted around by its erlmantle). 
  GMs should treat bonded erlmantles as if they were a 
  druid’s animal companion (see Player’s Handbook Chapter 
  3).
  Erlmantle Familiars
  Like the alchemunculus above, erlmantles are highly 
  unusual but well-suited familiars for those who understand 
  them and their needs. If a wizard or sorcerer has at least 
  one rank in Profession (Herbalist) or Knowledge (Nature), 
  they can choose an erlmantle as a familiar, despite its non-
  animal status. The wizard or sorcerer gains a +2 insight 
  bonus to Move Silently checks but only in natural and 
  woodland settings. Erlmantle familiars retain all their 
  abilities above and gain all the special abilities as noted in 
  the Familiars section of Chapter 3 in the Player’s Handbook, 
  though its Speak with Animals abilities obviously translate 
  over to ﬂora rather than fauna. 
  Kin o’ the Green (Template)
  T
  hey are a reﬂection of the highest form of the 
  herbalists’ art, as well as a bridge between ﬂora 
  and fauna, a previously unknown mix of animal 
  and plant life. “Kin o’ the green” (or “greenkin” for short) 
  is just one of the many names by which these creatures are 
  known. In other lands they have been called “greenmen,” 
  “vinekind,” or even “swamp things.” There are no 
  naturally occurring kin o’ the green, as even children born 
  of a greenkin appear as normal denizens of the parent’s 
  original base race. Kin o’ the green occur from Greengifting, 
  rituals or processes either granted by sentient cocoon 
  swathes (or erlmantles of sufﬁcient age and ability) or by 
  the use of the Erlixir of Greengift (see Chapter 7). Beings so 
  gifted become crossbreeds between their original animal 
  race and a new plant race, in effect a “half-plant.” 
  Stages of Development
  Greenkin have three stages of development, so the 
  amount of time since the Greengift affects how closely it 
  resembles the person in his former biological form, though 
  disguising a greenkin of any stage as his or her original 
  race is almost impossible without magical or specialized 
  help. The primary difference between botanical greenkin 
  and biological humanoids is the plant matter that slowly 
  and inevitably subsumes animal matter, even though the 
  bioform remains humanoid. Hair becomes tiny vines, 
  ﬂowers and moss, skin becomes husk and bark, nails 
  and teeth become hardwood, and muscles and blood are 
  slowly replaced by plant ﬁbers and sap.
  First Stage
  For 1d4 years, the being is a fey creature, a mix of 
  animal tissue and plant matter slowly subsuming it all. 
  Cosmetically, the only changes occur immediately after 
  successfully receiving (and surviving) the greengift. The 
  person’s irises expand and become the singular color in 
  the eye (no visible pupils, although they are still present). 
  The person’s skin and nails begin to toughen (as noted 
  under AC below). Where new hair would normally grow, 
  half of it randomly regrows as small plant vines, with 
  small ﬂowers if so desired.
  Second Stage
  The 2nd stage as a greenkin lasts four times as long as the 
  ﬁrst stage (i.e. 1d4x4 years). It marks the being’s entry 
  Appendix One
  
  103
  into life as a plant, albeit in a form similar to its original 
  race. Now unavoidably linked to the plant world, the 
  greenkin’s blood is now sap, its skin and muscles are bark 
  and plant ﬁber. Even with these radical changes, greenkin 
  can remain active adventurers of any and all classes. 
  Third Stage
  The 3rd stage in the life of a kin o’ the green is radical and 
  sees the person take root and grow into a treant form. 
  Aside from the few times a treant might uproot itself and 
  move around, the character stays in that spot. It can travel 
  within a lesser second-stage form of itself, but its true 
  body has become a large tree. Kin o’ the green can survive 
  in this form for centuries longer than the normal being’s 
  lifespan (though only 25% longer than an elf’s normal 
  lifespan).
  Creating a Kin o’ the Green
  Kin o’ the green is a template that can be applied to any 
  humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature (referred to 
  hereafter as the “base creature”). Greenkin use all the base 
  creature’s special abilities and statistics except as noted 
  below.
  Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to “fey” 
  while it shares both animal and plant natures (1st stage of 
  development). After its makeup is fully plant material (2nd 
  and 3rd stage), its type becomes “plant.” Size is unchanged 
  (1st & 2nd stage); same as treant (3rd stage).
  Speed: Same as the base creature (1st & 2nd stage); same 
  as treant (3rd stage).
  AC: The base creature’s natural armor increases by +1 
  at the time of change and increases +1 each year upon the 
  anniversary of the greengift.
  Space/Reach: Same as the base creature (1st & 2nd stage); 
  same as treant (3rd stage).
  Special Attacks: These differ by the stages of greenkin 
  development. 
  • 
  1st & 2nd stage: Same as base creature.
  • 
  3rd stage: As per treant form.
  Special Qualities: These differ by the stages of 
  greenkin development, though all stages retain all special 
  qualities of the base creature. 
  • 
  1st stage: Woodland Stride (as per druid ability)
  • 
  2nd stage: Regeneration 5 (Greenkin can regrow 
  or reattach any lost limbs, provided damage is 
  not from ﬁre. Death cannot occur unless the head 
  is destroyed by ﬁre.)
  • 
  3rd stage: Speak with Plants (Su) as a constant 
  ability. Also see Advancement below.
  Saves: Same as base creature.
  Abilities: Increase these as follows immediately upon 
  gaining the 1st stage: Str -1, Dex +1, Con -1, Int -1, Wis +1, 
  Cha +1.
  Skills: Same as base creature (1st stage); +4 racial 
  bonuses on Knowledge (Nature), Listen, Move Silently, 
  and Survival (2nd stage); +8 racial bonus (total) on skills 
  mentioned above (3rd stage).
  Feats: Greenkin gain two feats per stage, assuming the 
  base creature meets the prerequisites and does not already 
  have them:
  • 
  1st Stage: Spell Focus (Transmutation: +4 DC on 
  plant-based spells), Toughness;
  • 
  2nd Stage: Blind-Fight, Lightning Reﬂexes; 
  • 
  3rd Stage: Maximize Spell (Choose two of the 
  following: Commune with Nature, Control Plants, 
  Entangle, Plant Growth, Resist Energy, Wall of 
  Thorns, Warp Wood, Wood Shape).
  Climate/Terrain: Same as base creature, but no arctic 
  or subterranean.
  Organization: Same as base creature (1st and 2nd 
  stage); as treant (3rd stage).
  Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +1
  Treasure: Same as base creature.
  Alignment: Same as base creature.
  Advancement: These differ by the stages of greenkin 
  development. 
  • 
  1st & 2nd stage: By character class or base creature, 
  plus abilities noted above.
  • 
  3rd stage: Once the greenkin enter the ﬁnal stage 
  of development, he or she is in effect a greenkin 
  treant and is generally rooted to one spot. In all 
  ways, the character adheres to the statistics and 
  abilities (and advancement) of a regular treant 
  save for these exceptions:
  o 
  Armor Class: The character retains its natural 
  AC if greater than the treant standard AC. 
  o 
  Hit Dice: The character retains any hit dice 
  and hit points, and the rooted treant form 
  simply grows to the appropriate size.
  o 
  Grow Animate Shell (Sp): The greenkin 
  treant can regrow a facsimile plant body 
  that mirrors its 2nd-stage form perfectly. It 
  can project its soul into the shell and operate 
  at its character levels from the end of the 2nd 
  stage (i.e. no gained XP from being a treant, 
  though additional skills may remain). This 
  shell can house the treant’s soul for the 
  number of days equal to its hit dice and only 
  within a 100-mile radius from the treant’s 
  rooted position. The shell can be abandoned 
  at will, leaving behind a scarecrow-like 
  ﬁgure or a collapsing pile of plants. While 
  the shell is active, it acts as the character, and 
  only one shell can be active at any one time. 
  o 
  Self Sense (Su): The symbiosis between the 
  greenkin treant and an animate shell works 
  like the link between sorcerer and familiar. 
  Regardless of where the soul is (shell or 
  treant), both instinctively know when the 
  other form is in danger. 
  Greenkin Weaknesses and Restrictions
  Just as a vampire can no longer walk in sunlight, kin o’ the 
  green cannot operate exactly as they did when they were 
  their base races. These are some of the direct trade-offs 
  and penalties for having taken on this template: 
  • 
  A kin o’ the green cannot cast any spells 
  from the following groups or types: Cleric 
  Domain—Death, 
  Cleric 
  Domain—Fire, 
  Necromancy.
  • 
  A kin o’ the green cannot use any spells 
  evoking ﬁre as either a component or an 
  effect (burning hands, ﬁreball, etc.)
  • 
  As holy symbols keep vampires at bay, ﬁre 
  tends to do the same for greenkin. They are 
  unable, due to ingrained fears, to cross over 
  or enter an area that has large open ﬂames. 
  Torches make them nervous but waving one 
  at greenkin will not be enough to repel them 
  from an area, though a line of ﬂaming oil 
  will be an effective barrier. Kin o’ the green 
  Monsters
  
  104
  PCs can attempt to overcome these fears by 
  making a Will save against them (see the 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide for details on fear 
  effects). Success puts them at Shaken status 
  (unless the save is made by more 
  than 10), while failure leads 
  automatically 
  to 
  Panicked 
  status or greater.
  • 
  Greenkin suffer any ﬁre-
  based spells as if they were 
  cast with a Maximize Spell 
  metamagic feat (the effects 
  are doubled if that feat was 
  actually used).
  • 
  A greenkin suffers 
  any plant-affecting 
  spell as if they 
  were cast with the 
  Empower 
  Spell 
  metamagic 
  feat 
  (the 
  effects 
  are 
  doubled 
  if 
  that 
  feat was actually 
  used).
  • 
  1st stage greenkin 
  still consume the 
  same food as the 
  base creature, but 
  they 
  need 
  twice 
  as much water as 
  normal.
  • 
  2nd 
  stage 
  kin 
  o’ 
  the 
  green 
  suffer 
  subdual 
  damage 
  as if starving and 
  dehydrated 
  for 
  every 
  day 
  they 
  are not exposed to 
  sunlight. They also need three times as much 
  water as the base creature to avoid starvation 
  and dehydration subdual damage. 
  Sample Greenkin
  This example uses a 5th-level human ﬁghter as the 
  base creature. 
  Medium Fey (1st Stage Kin o’ the Green)
  Hit Dice: 5d12 (49 hp)
  Initiative: +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
  Speed: 20 ft.
  Armor Class: 17 (+2 Dex, +1 natural, +4 scale 
  mail)
  Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+8
  Attack: Masterwork scimitar +10 melee 
  (1d6+3) or throwing axe +8 ranged 
  (1d6+3)
  Full Attack: Masterwork scimitar +10 
  melee (1d6+3) or throwing axe +8 ranged 
  (1d6+3)
  Space/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft. / 5 ft.
  Special Attacks: None
  Special Qualities: Woodland stride
  Saves: Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +2
  Abilities: Str 16, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 12, 
  Wis 12, Cha 14
  Skills: 
  Climb 
  +5, 
  Craft: 
  Weaponsmithing 
  +3, 
  Intimidate 
  +3, Intuit Direction +3, Jump +6, 
  Knowledge: Nature +2, Search +3, 
  Spot +6, Survival +4, Swim +1 
  Feats: 
  Alertness, 
  Combat 
  Reﬂexes, 
  Improved 
  Initiative, 
  Quick 
  Draw, 
  Toughness, Weapon Focus [Scimitar], 
  Weapon Specialization [Scimitar]
  Challenge Rating: 8
  Appendix One
  
  105
   Appendix Two: The Feats Table
  lists of the feats, arranged in the general order most of 
  these feats are learned (by virtue of minimum skill ranks 
  or additional prerequisites, including some of the feats on 
  this same table).
  Feats
  T
  his table is a compilation for DMs quick-checking 
  the prerequisites or abilities of any of the new feats 
  introduced in this product. After the table are two 
  Table 30: The Complete A&H Feats Table
  Feat
  Feat Type
  Prerequisites
  Effects/Abilities
  Bodily Awareness
  General
  Craft: Alchemy or Profession: 
  Herbalist at 5+ ranks
  +2 to all Heal or Profession: 
  Apothecary checks
  Brew Ingestibles
  Item 
  Creation
  Craft: Alchemy 9+ ranks OR 
  Profession: Herbalist 7+ranks
  +3 to your Craft: Alchemy or 
  Profession: Herbalist skill when 
  crafting any ingestible
  Craft Chymicals
  Item 
  Creation
  Craft: Alchemy 5+ ranks, Skill 
  Focus: Craft (Alchemy)
  +3 to Craft: Alchemy skill when 
  creating any and all   acids, 
  chymicals, etc.
  Craft Herbal 
  Restoratives
  Item 
  Creation
  Profession: Herbalist 8+ ranks or 
  Profession: Apothacary 6+ ranks
  +3 to your Profession or Heal skill 
  when creating any nonmagical 
  healing draughts, powders, poultices, 
  or other medicines
  Craft Powders & Dusts
  Item 
  Creation
  Craft: Alchemy 7+ ranks or 
  Herbalist 6+ ranks, Skill Focus 
  (for respective skill)
  +3 to your Craft: Alchemy and 
  Profession: Herbalist skills when 
  creating alchemical or herbal 
  powders; acts as Craft Wondrous 
  Item if prereqs met
  Craft Toxins
  Item 
  Creation
  Craft: Alchemy 8+ ranks OR 
  Profession: Herbalist 6+ ranks, 
  Great Fortitude
  +3 to your Craft: Alchemy or 
  Profession: Herbalist skill when 
  creating any and all types of poisons
  Craft Unguents
  Item 
  Creation
  Craft: Alchemy 9+ ranks OR 
  Profession:  7+ ranks, Crafts 
  Powders & Dusts
  +3 to your Craft: Alchemy or 
  Profession: Herbalist skill when 
  creating any and all types of 
  Unguents  acts as Craft Wondrous 
  Item if prerequisites met
  Create Alchana
  Item 
  Creation
  Craft: Alchemy 9+ ranks, 
  Endurance, Craft Chymicals, 
  Craft Wondrous Item
  Create miscellaneous creations 
  of alchemy either magic (or Craft 
  Wondrous Item) or alchemy alone
  Create Erlcana
  Item 
  Creation
  Profession: Herbalist 16+ ranks, 
  Grow Swathe, Knowledge: 
  Nature 5+ ranks.
  Create greater erlcana, plants and 
  plant derived substances with their 
  own sentience and magics
  Create Greater
  Item 
  Creation
  Craft: Alchemy 16+ ranks, 
  Perfect Materials, Create Alchana
  Create the Five Stones of Alchemy!
  Crisis Creation
  Item 
  Creation
  Concentration, Skill Focus 
  (Craft: Alchemy or Profession: 
  Herbalist), and at least one Item 
  Creation Feat
  Create items in an emergency in less 
  time or   away from laboratory
  Diagnosis
  General
  Heal, Profession: Apothecary 5+ 
  ranks
  +3 circumstance bonus for Heal skill 
  Flourish Spell
  Metamagic
  Profession: Herbalist 12+, 
  spellcaster level 4th+
  Alter spells to heal or change plants
  Grow Swathe
  Item 
  Creation
  Profession: Herbalist 12+ 
  ranks, Craft Powders & Dust, 
  spellcaster level 5th+
  Create swathes to graft onto items 
  Perfect Materials
  Item 
  Creation
  Craft: Alchemy 12+ ranks, 
  spellcaster Level 7+, Create 
  Alchana
  Can reﬁne materials to their strongest 
  or purest forms
  Reciprocal Knowledge
  General
  7+ ranks in two related skills 
  with synergy bonuses
  Advanced synergy of +3 that stacks 
  with other synergy bonuses
  
  106
  Appendix Two
  Alchemy feats in order by minimum 
  prerequisite ranks
  Bodily Awareness 
  Craft Chymicals 
  Craft Powders & Dusts 
  Craft Toxins 
  Brew Ingestibles 
  Craft Unguents 
  Create Alchana 
  Perfect Materials 
  Create Greater Alchana 
  Herbalism feats in order by minimum 
  prerequisite ranks
  Bodily Awareness 
  Craft Powders & Dusts 
  Craft Toxins 
  Brew Ingestibles 
  Craft Unguents 
  Craft Herbal Restoratives 
  Flourish Spell 
  Grow Swathe 
  Create Erlcana 
  
  107
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