TEXT: Death on the Reik Companion
  — Pádraig Murphy
  Death on the Reik Companion
  — Pádraig Murphy
  
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  XIII
  DEVELOPER DIARY
  WARHAMMER FANTASY ROLEPL AY
  DEVELOPER DIARY 13 
  by Pádraig Murphy
  Welcome to another Dev Diary for the Enemy Within! A quick update this time, as the Death on the Reik 
  Companion is very nearly complete, so you’ll have that in your hands shortly! As with the Enemy in Shadows 
  Companion, we’ve crammed a lot of additional content into this one. There are some bonus adventures, a ton of 
  NPCs, an update to the original trading rules from WFRP ’s first edition, as well as some wholly new content.
  One of my favourite sections is the inclusion of extracts from Hortensia Puddlefoot’s famous book, Common Herbal 
  and General Concordance of Regional Herb Names. Hortensia is a studious Halfling, and a lucid thinker, and has done 
  much to illuminate the practise of herbalism throughout the Empire. This chapter serves a dual purpose, both giving 
  players and GMs some background flavour to discuss with the pharmacist Elyvra in the early stages of Death on 
  the Reik, as well as introducing some new rules for gathering herbs using an Endeavour, and a few new potions and 
  concoctions to brew.
  We’ve taken the time to break out the various preparations into three broad categories of treatment: Poultices, 
  which are prepared salves and pastes made with the Trade (Herbalist) Skill; Draughts, which are brewed using the 
  Trade (Apothecary) Skill; and Raw, which indicates herbs that can be usefully taken without skilled preparation at 
  all — so long as one can find them. The Trade (Poisoner) Skill can be substituted for any of these should the final 
  preparation have a harmful effect.
  The result is a short and interesting chapter that provides some colourful background, as well as a host of new herbal 
  remedies (and maladies!) to play with. I would encourage GMs to allow players to experiment with these to find 
  novel uses, especially if they can make a convincing case for why a particular combination might have a novel effect 
  of some kind.
  The result is a short and interesting chapter that provides some colourful background, as well as a host of new herbal 
  remedies (and maladies!) to play with. I would encourage GMs to allow players to experiment with these to find 
  novel uses, especially if they can make a convincing case for why a particular combination might have a novel effect 
  of some kind.
  Introduction
  The herbs published in the WFRP rulebook (see page 307) are a small sample of those found growing throughout 
  the Old World. Herbalists have always tended to rely on local knowledge and herb lore handed down from teacher 
  to student; textbooks on herbs and their uses are rare — perhaps due to widespread illiteracy in rural areas where 
  knowledge of herbal medicine is strongest.
  Because of this, the publication of Hortensia Puddlefoot’s Common Herbal and General Concordance of Regional Herb 
  Names has generated some excitement — and not a little controversy — among physicians, herbalists, and academics 
  in general. This renowned herbalist from the Moot has spent much of the last century collecting information on 
  useful plants of all kinds, the names by which they are known in different parts of the Old World, and their different 
  preparations and uses. The following extract covers a selection of herbs that may be of use to adventurers, with her 
  comments on each.
  Gathering Herbs
  Optional rules for foraging and gathering many natural materials, including herbs, can be found on WFRP, page 
  127. However, you will find that, given the high prices certain herbs can fetch, these rules may prove a touch too 
  lucrative for Characters with the skills to find several doses of costly herbs such as Nightshade or Graveroot.
  While these rules are suitable for use in a pinch, especially if there is a pressing need for just the right remedy for an 
  ailing Character or NPC, they are otherwise best avoided. Instead, the following optional Endeavour may be used 
  by Characters with the Lore (Herbs) Skill during the Between Adventures portion of your game ( WFRP, page 
  192). While it still provides plenty of opportunity for profit, it keeps your adventures from being bogged down by 
  long sessions of herbal foraging — time that might be better spent engaged in more adventurous activities.
  
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  DEVELOPER DIARY
  WARHAMMER FANTASY ROLEPL AY
  HERBS OF THE EMPIRE
  What follows is a selection of commonly used herbs in the Empire, with notes on their preparation and use taken 
  from Hortensia Puddlefoot’s Common Herbal and General Concordance of Regional Herb Names. While this is not an 
  exhaustive list, it does provide a selection of herbal treatments to expand the repertoire of any budding Herbalist or 
  Apothecary.
  Agurk
  Preparations: Infusion, Draught
  Inhaling the fumes from an infusion of Agurk causes mild shaking (Dexterity –20) for three hours unless the 
  Character makes a successful Challenging (+0) Endurance Test or has an Immunity to poison. Conversely, a draught 
  of Agurk is a potentially fatal toxin. This inflicts 2 Poisoned Conditions, resisted with a Difficult (–10) Endurance 
  Test.
  Scarcity
  SL
  Common
  1
  Scarce
  2
  Rare
  3
  Exotic
  4
  Rather than relying on traders to procure herbs useful for poultices and draughts, those trained 
  in the Lore (Herbs) Skill may instead search for their own raw materials. This requires access 
  to an area of the correct terrain — see the chart above for the locality in which specific herbs 
  can be found. You may search any locality within a day’s travel of your current location. You 
  may only search for herbs that are in season.
  Make an Average (+20) Lore (Herbs) Test. The total SL achieved may be spent to 
  acquire one dose of any assorted herbs found in that locality at the rates below. Any 
  unspent SL are lost.
  NEW ENDEAVOUR: FORAGING
  Though commonly called Agurk, in the Moot we call this 
  herb Shiverweed. It is also known as Zitterwort in the Empire, 
  Trema in Tilea, and Gysenblat in Norsca. The Elves call it 
  Echryddeillen. It grows in open grasslands where the soil is 
  well-drained but not too sandy. 
  To prepare it, pick the leaves, strip and discard the stalks, 
  and hang up to dry beside the fireplace for at least a week. 
  This herb is useful for improving the circulation, and also for 
  helping a patient sweat out a heavy cold. 
  Never use it for a fever, since it can cause the patient’s 
  temperature to rise. To use the herb, add the leaves to a dish 
  of boiling water, let stand for a minute or two until the water 
  begins to take on a little colour, and then let the patient inhale 
  the fumes for three or four minutes. 
  After this time, the patient should start to shake — make them 
  comfortable, and keep an eye on them for three or four hours. 
  If the trembling has not subsided by this time, you may safely 
  administer a mild sedative. Dispose of the infusion carefully, 
  and never let it be drunk — it can cause fatal convulsions if 
  taken internally.
  THE ELF BALM
  
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  DEVELOPER DIARY
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  gesundheit
  Preparations: Poultice
  A poultice of Gesundheit leaves applied to a Festering Wound ( WFRP, page 187) affords the patient an Average 
  (+20) Endurance Test, with each SL achieved reducing the duration of the Festering Wound by one day. This 
  application can be repeated with a fresh poultice no more than once daily, until the Wound is no longer Festering.
  MAge-LeAf
  Preparations: Raw
  Mage-Leaf is eaten raw, with the leaves remaining potent for a week after picking. As its name suggests, it is used 
  exclusively by spellcasters. One dose gives the caster a +10 bonus to their next Casting Test, but when each dose 
  is taken, roll a d10. If the result is less than or equal to the number of doses already taken that day, the dose has no 
  effect.
  Gesundheit, as everyone knows, means ‘good health’ in 
  Reikspiel, and such a simple name leads me to believe that the 
  knowledge of this plant is very ancient.
  The Elves call it Leoleghas , and in Bretonnia it is known as 
  Feuille de Blessure. In the Moot, we call it Heal-All. It is a 
  very simple herb to use: simply bruise the leaves to release their 
  sap, and create a poultice. 
  There are some who like to add various other healing herbs, 
  according to the nature of the wound or the source of the 
  infection, but I have never found this necessary.
  A FESTERING TREATMENT
  I was unsure at first as to whether to include this herb, since it 
  has no known medicinal value. However, its magical properties 
  are sufficiently well-known that I thought it might be useful 
  at least to mention the different names by which this plant is 
  known, to avoid any mistaken impression that there are several 
  different plants with similar properties. 
  The elven name for Mage-Leaf is Daionillyseiwyn, which 
  I am told means ‘the good plant’. In Norsca it is known 
  as Troldblat, in Bretonnia as Feuille Sorceiere, in Tilea as 
  Folimaggi — a corruption of the Classical Folia Magii — and 
  in Albion as Draodill , meaning ‘the leaf of the Druids.’
  WIZARD’S BOON
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