Dressing up the wilderness is sometimes tough, but we're lucky enough that the OSR blogs provide plenty of random generators and materials.
I like this first link very much. It contains a couple of nice tables ("Application/Delivery" and "Form/Part of Plant") which can serve as a useful reference even if you don't want to roll.
Also, the big d100 table contains a lot possible names, possible locations/hits about the presence of the plant (where to find it) and its effects.
The only drawback, with so many random options, is that you must keep a record of each combination, as they come into play, so that you will have some consistency when these plants will come up again.
Also, note the suggestion at the beginning of the article: maybe use herbs and natural healing as the only source of healing for a low-fantasy campaign.
Herb & Plant Generator
by ktrey
Here’s another bit of Google+ Content that I threw together a while back and forgot to share here. It's a Herb & Plant Generator that I whipped up based on some scattered notes and previous practices. I'm sure that Rolemaster 2nd Edition's juicy “list of Herbs, Breads, and Poisons” provided some inspiration here. I seem to recall it had some stern admonishments against having only magical sources of healing in your campaign, and since I acquired Character Law years before coming across Spell Law, for the longest time Herbs and Natural Healing were the only systems I had.
https://blog.d4caltrops.com/2018/11/more-migration-herb-plant-generator.html
From the same author, here is another random generator, this time only with names and trees.
See The Forest For The Trees
https://blog.d4caltrops.com/2019/04/see-forest-for-trees.html
The next link shows different approach, and while I don't want to sound too critic, I think this might go a bit too far with details, at the expense of usability. The thing is, this page with many herbs is the material of a large campaign, and while I am sure it serves the GM well, it is hard to use for others (unless someone is willy to put in several hours of study).
Some issues that I see with this sort of long, detailed lists:
- It is difficult to find something right away (what herb will someone give you to cure you?)
- It takes time to write it (if you want to make your own), it is very hard to customize (with so many entries, it's hard to understand if changing something has an unwelcome effect on something else), it is very long to study and almost impossible to reference on the fly unless you're already familiar with it
On the other hand, if you simply open it up, read a description or two, and manage to pick up something for your own campaign, and use it as it is or with a little change or two, it might serve as a valid source.
Beasts and Herbs
by Dragonsmarch
Descriptions of trees, plants, herbs and mushrooms are given wonderful attention in modern computer RPGs. This same amount of detail and immersion can be lacking in descriptions written for table top games. I was inspired by video games like Skyrim and Witcher 3 to create my own plant and flora descriptions for the Dragonsmarch.
I try to incorporate these plants, trees and animal descriptions into the wilderness notecards I create for each type of terrain. Not in every case but at least in half of the cards I include a description of a useful plant or some interesting group of trees whose bark or wood or sap has some special value or application in potion making, herb lore or adventuring in general.
[...]
Abbot's Thistle
A broad bushy thistle which grows in hills and grasslands. The edges of the leaves of this plant are tinged a brilliant crimson. Abbot's thistle is valuable in potions which lessen the potency of natural toxins and poisons. While this plant grows wild it can be difficult to find as it is a favorite food for a number of grazing animals in the region.
Value: 1 Gathering = 2 Plants = 1 electrum piece
[...]
Apple Leaf
Apple Leaf is a form of tobacco widely grown throughout the lands North of the Sea of Harlots. It is relatively inexpensive. 50 units is usually packed into a cask and sold at a value of 25 gold pieces or about 5 silver pieces a unit. A unit is sufficient to pack the pipe of a human one time or the pipe of a small folk or dwarf twice. Apple Leaf has a pleasant apple aroma but does not hang as well as the more expensive forms of pipe weed for smoke ring competitions.
1 Gathering = 5 Units = 2 Gold and 5 Silver
[...]
Butcher's Grass
Butcher's Grass grows in broad sharp stalks often as tall as a man's hip. The edges of these sturdy blades of grass are a light green but the center of the grass stalk in a deep red growing more black in the center. Butcher's Grass grows native in the far East, in places like The Necrogarchy of Leng or the Ancient Kingdom of Petrurias. It is believed that seeds of this grass were carried in the rotted armor and rotten clothing of the undead army driven into the Kingdom of Daria by the Necromasters during the Nightshade War. Today Butcher's Grass can be found in scattered patches wherever the ground is soft and damp and where shade is abundant. Butcher's Grass does not grow in dry or sunny locations well.
Butcher's Grass is tough and resists cold and even the heat created by a natural fire. Harvested with a scythe it can have the sharp edges trimmed away and be woven into sturdy baskets or twisted to create fibers for making rope.
Butcher's Grass has a reputation for growing where a considerable amount of blood has been shed, usually through some violent deed. It is believed to commonly grow around gallows or in patches where battles have been fought.
Herb Lore - When boiled Butcher's Grass releases an agent which can add to the potency of salves and potions which heal wounds. Herbal wound salves and potions generally add 1 or 2 points to the rate of natural healing over the course of a full days rest with limited or no physical activity.
Value: 1 Gathering = 3 to 5 plants = 3 silver pieces.
[...]
https://sites.google.com/view/dragonsmarch/monsters/beasts-and-herbs
Note that each of the over 70 plants mentioned in the Dragonsmarch campaign site, can be combined with another. The author provides a table with all interactions, and with effects such as:
- NA
- Curative
- Sublimate
- Fulminate
- Reagent
- Additive
I guess NA is a valid result (you can't mix everything) and the others follow a regular pattern. This means that while a long time was spent writing up descriptions, the effects and combinations are somehow random (they might not make sense).
Still, I like the idea of combining more herbs for an effect, instead of having a single plant or herb have a specific effect.
The idea of combining elements is what makes alchemy and brewing potions different than simply finding a healing plant which alone functions as an magical healing potion.
This is another example of how multiple plants and herbs combine their effects together.
This blog post is a little more precise in terms of rules and describes clearly how to find and gather herbs (called reagents if they have magical powers), presents a table with the difficulty of finding such reagents (a target number for a d6 roll), and describes how to combine them to have a specific spell.
Reagents in Wilderland
It does not seem that Gandalf casts his spells one after the other. There seems some limiting factor as to when he unleashes his potency. Vancian spell casting (for all its charms) seems inappropriate for the Wilderlands setting. Therefore, what is the limiting factor?
[...]
In a similar way, I built a little sub-system for alchemy, combining parts of dead monsters, which you can find in the Black Dogs 'zine - issue number 8.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/269308/Black-Dogs-zine--issue-8
It's not the same as this sort of tables, but still requires two elements, taken from different monsters; one element has a power and another has an activation method, and you must combine an "activator" with a "powerful" element to release its effect.
In case you don't have yet enough plants, these are enother couple of links...
The first can be used as a reference of peculiar plants.
UNCOMMON VEGETATION OF GULT
by hyophexia
USEFUL VEGETATION
Lenticulating oats: A cereal grain inedible by humans, the seeds of which are translucent. When the seeds are dehusked and rolled or cut, the flakes refract recondite portions of the superspectrum, allowing e.g. some invisible things to be seen through them. You have to figure out how you're going to effectively look through a pile of transparent oatmeal.
Rusk: A low, sparse bush that grows relatively high on some mountainsides. Its buds, when harvested and ground, can be mixed with an equal measure of sand and left covered overnight; in the morning the mixture will have congealed into a solid piece of dark glass. The glass is difficult to see through, like overly-dark sunglasses, but allow the wearer to see through one meter of solid stone. The glass is coveted for use as lenses in stoneshades.
[...]
WEAPONIZED VEGETATION
Algamb: A dangerous, fast-growing algae; quickly spreads through any fresh water into which it's introduced like Ice-9 and converts it into saltwater, then dies. Effective siege weapon, difficult to find as it so quickly destroys the fresh water it needs to survive.
Drytouch: A small tuber, the inside of which is intensely hydrophobic. Ground and turned into a paste, this can be used to coat equipment with a waterproof layer. If eaten, death is nearly assured.
[...]
RARE VEGETATION
Hapax: There is only one hapax, period. No one knows where it is or what it looks like. Touching it lets you make something unique; i.e. there used to be many of something and now there's only one.
[...]
https://hyophexia.com/blog/2018/5/4/uncommon-vegetation-of-gult
The last link is about Dolmenwood - a beautiful OSR setting covered by several issues of the Wormskin 'zine by Necrotic Gnome. See more about Dolmenwood here:
http://necrotic-gnome-productions.blogspot.com/2018/05/about-dolmenwood-campaign-book.html
In this article, Brian presents many trees for the different areas of Dolmenwood (easy to adapt to your own campaign) with some descriptions and lore.
Note that the article contains also a little sub-system on asking information about these plants (i.e. from Friars, from Hunters, from Woodcutters, etc.) and which sort of false information you might get.
Dolmenwood: Notable Trees of the Dolmenwood & Their Uses
by Brian Richmond
[...]
When attempting to examine or search for one of these sublime trees, consult the following information for sake of guidance:
Friars: 4-in-6 chance of valid information (location, type of tree, strange effects).
Hunters: 2-in-6 chance of valid information (4-in-6 chance for location of "the weird tree")
Drune: 1-in-6 chance of valid information (they wish you harm, but if you are friend to them, 5-in-6 chance of valid information.)
Woodcutters: 3-in-6 chance of valid information, 5-in-6 chance for location (Backenwold, High Wold, Hag's Addle).
Generic NPC from Region, 1-in-6 chance to know location, always wrong information [see below]
http://www.goatmansgoblet.com/2019/03/dolmenwood-notable-trees-of-dolmenwood.html
Design notes:
From the same author, here is another random generator, this time only with names and trees.
See The Forest For The Trees
by ktrey
Here's another handy-dandy table for adding some more botanical flavor to your fantasy wildernesses.
[...]
The next link shows different approach, and while I don't want to sound too critic, I think this might go a bit too far with details, at the expense of usability. The thing is, this page with many herbs is the material of a large campaign, and while I am sure it serves the GM well, it is hard to use for others (unless someone is willy to put in several hours of study).
Some issues that I see with this sort of long, detailed lists:
- It is difficult to find something right away (what herb will someone give you to cure you?)
- It takes time to write it (if you want to make your own), it is very hard to customize (with so many entries, it's hard to understand if changing something has an unwelcome effect on something else), it is very long to study and almost impossible to reference on the fly unless you're already familiar with it
On the other hand, if you simply open it up, read a description or two, and manage to pick up something for your own campaign, and use it as it is or with a little change or two, it might serve as a valid source.
Beasts and Herbs
by Dragonsmarch
Descriptions of trees, plants, herbs and mushrooms are given wonderful attention in modern computer RPGs. This same amount of detail and immersion can be lacking in descriptions written for table top games. I was inspired by video games like Skyrim and Witcher 3 to create my own plant and flora descriptions for the Dragonsmarch.
I try to incorporate these plants, trees and animal descriptions into the wilderness notecards I create for each type of terrain. Not in every case but at least in half of the cards I include a description of a useful plant or some interesting group of trees whose bark or wood or sap has some special value or application in potion making, herb lore or adventuring in general.
[...]
Abbot's Thistle
A broad bushy thistle which grows in hills and grasslands. The edges of the leaves of this plant are tinged a brilliant crimson. Abbot's thistle is valuable in potions which lessen the potency of natural toxins and poisons. While this plant grows wild it can be difficult to find as it is a favorite food for a number of grazing animals in the region.
Value: 1 Gathering = 2 Plants = 1 electrum piece
[...]
Apple Leaf
Apple Leaf is a form of tobacco widely grown throughout the lands North of the Sea of Harlots. It is relatively inexpensive. 50 units is usually packed into a cask and sold at a value of 25 gold pieces or about 5 silver pieces a unit. A unit is sufficient to pack the pipe of a human one time or the pipe of a small folk or dwarf twice. Apple Leaf has a pleasant apple aroma but does not hang as well as the more expensive forms of pipe weed for smoke ring competitions.
1 Gathering = 5 Units = 2 Gold and 5 Silver
[...]
Butcher's Grass
Butcher's Grass grows in broad sharp stalks often as tall as a man's hip. The edges of these sturdy blades of grass are a light green but the center of the grass stalk in a deep red growing more black in the center. Butcher's Grass grows native in the far East, in places like The Necrogarchy of Leng or the Ancient Kingdom of Petrurias. It is believed that seeds of this grass were carried in the rotted armor and rotten clothing of the undead army driven into the Kingdom of Daria by the Necromasters during the Nightshade War. Today Butcher's Grass can be found in scattered patches wherever the ground is soft and damp and where shade is abundant. Butcher's Grass does not grow in dry or sunny locations well.
Butcher's Grass is tough and resists cold and even the heat created by a natural fire. Harvested with a scythe it can have the sharp edges trimmed away and be woven into sturdy baskets or twisted to create fibers for making rope.
Butcher's Grass has a reputation for growing where a considerable amount of blood has been shed, usually through some violent deed. It is believed to commonly grow around gallows or in patches where battles have been fought.
Herb Lore - When boiled Butcher's Grass releases an agent which can add to the potency of salves and potions which heal wounds. Herbal wound salves and potions generally add 1 or 2 points to the rate of natural healing over the course of a full days rest with limited or no physical activity.
Value: 1 Gathering = 3 to 5 plants = 3 silver pieces.
[...]
https://sites.google.com/view/dragonsmarch/monsters/beasts-and-herbs
Note that each of the over 70 plants mentioned in the Dragonsmarch campaign site, can be combined with another. The author provides a table with all interactions, and with effects such as:
- NA
- Curative
- Sublimate
- Fulminate
- Reagent
- Additive
I guess NA is a valid result (you can't mix everything) and the others follow a regular pattern. This means that while a long time was spent writing up descriptions, the effects and combinations are somehow random (they might not make sense).
Still, I like the idea of combining more herbs for an effect, instead of having a single plant or herb have a specific effect.
The idea of combining elements is what makes alchemy and brewing potions different than simply finding a healing plant which alone functions as an magical healing potion.
This is another example of how multiple plants and herbs combine their effects together.
This blog post is a little more precise in terms of rules and describes clearly how to find and gather herbs (called reagents if they have magical powers), presents a table with the difficulty of finding such reagents (a target number for a d6 roll), and describes how to combine them to have a specific spell.
Reagents in Wilderland
by Josh
[...] This post is concerned with enchantments. That is, the type of spells one might work if one is a magical professional, i.e., a wizard. These are intentional workings of magic, separate from the natural magic a supernatural creature may intuitively possess or ritual expressions of magical craft. It does not seem that Gandalf casts his spells one after the other. There seems some limiting factor as to when he unleashes his potency. Vancian spell casting (for all its charms) seems inappropriate for the Wilderlands setting. Therefore, what is the limiting factor?
[...]
Therefore, we limit enchantment to the tools that the wizard has at his disposal. It's the old D&D inventory management sub-system: a pack can only haul so much, and wizards have additional inventory management concerns.
[...]
The magic of the Wilderland is hidden in its wild spaces. Wizards collect the strange, the uncanny, the weird, and the unpleasant to weave enchantments.
Reagents are items that, at their basic level, have small magic. When combined together, however, their alchemical potential become unlocked.
The known reagents are nine herbs, and are:
1- Mucgwyrt; a root that grows in marshes and is good in beer
2- Attorlade; a tall grass that grows in cultivated lands
3- Stune; is an bitter herb that grows in soggy turf
[...]
Finding Reagents
Searching for reagents is a hex action. It takes about as much time and effort as hunting or camping. A gather components hex action allows a number of rolls equal to the wizard's Intelligence modifier, with a minimum of one. A relevant skill such as Herbalism yields an additional +2 rolls.
A reagent takes up one slot in a pack.
Weaving Enchantments
A wizard can weave an enchantment if they have two reagents to mix together.
A combination of two reagents creates the components for a single spell. This component must be held in the hand when cast. Weaving an enchantment takes one exploration turn and combines the two reagents into a component, which takes up one pack slot. Weaving multiple enchantments in this way may be done as part of a camping hex action.
[...]
In a similar way, I built a little sub-system for alchemy, combining parts of dead monsters, which you can find in the Black Dogs 'zine - issue number 8.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/269308/Black-Dogs-zine--issue-8
It's not the same as this sort of tables, but still requires two elements, taken from different monsters; one element has a power and another has an activation method, and you must combine an "activator" with a "powerful" element to release its effect.
In case you don't have yet enough plants, these are enother couple of links...
The first can be used as a reference of peculiar plants.
UNCOMMON VEGETATION OF GULT
by hyophexia
USEFUL VEGETATION
Lenticulating oats: A cereal grain inedible by humans, the seeds of which are translucent. When the seeds are dehusked and rolled or cut, the flakes refract recondite portions of the superspectrum, allowing e.g. some invisible things to be seen through them. You have to figure out how you're going to effectively look through a pile of transparent oatmeal.
Rusk: A low, sparse bush that grows relatively high on some mountainsides. Its buds, when harvested and ground, can be mixed with an equal measure of sand and left covered overnight; in the morning the mixture will have congealed into a solid piece of dark glass. The glass is difficult to see through, like overly-dark sunglasses, but allow the wearer to see through one meter of solid stone. The glass is coveted for use as lenses in stoneshades.
[...]
WEAPONIZED VEGETATION
Algamb: A dangerous, fast-growing algae; quickly spreads through any fresh water into which it's introduced like Ice-9 and converts it into saltwater, then dies. Effective siege weapon, difficult to find as it so quickly destroys the fresh water it needs to survive.
Drytouch: A small tuber, the inside of which is intensely hydrophobic. Ground and turned into a paste, this can be used to coat equipment with a waterproof layer. If eaten, death is nearly assured.
[...]
RARE VEGETATION
Hapax: There is only one hapax, period. No one knows where it is or what it looks like. Touching it lets you make something unique; i.e. there used to be many of something and now there's only one.
[...]
https://hyophexia.com/blog/2018/5/4/uncommon-vegetation-of-gult
The last link is about Dolmenwood - a beautiful OSR setting covered by several issues of the Wormskin 'zine by Necrotic Gnome. See more about Dolmenwood here:
http://necrotic-gnome-productions.blogspot.com/2018/05/about-dolmenwood-campaign-book.html
In this article, Brian presents many trees for the different areas of Dolmenwood (easy to adapt to your own campaign) with some descriptions and lore.
Note that the article contains also a little sub-system on asking information about these plants (i.e. from Friars, from Hunters, from Woodcutters, etc.) and which sort of false information you might get.
Dolmenwood: Notable Trees of the Dolmenwood & Their Uses
by Brian Richmond
[...]
When attempting to examine or search for one of these sublime trees, consult the following information for sake of guidance:
Friars: 4-in-6 chance of valid information (location, type of tree, strange effects).
Hunters: 2-in-6 chance of valid information (4-in-6 chance for location of "the weird tree")
Drune: 1-in-6 chance of valid information (they wish you harm, but if you are friend to them, 5-in-6 chance of valid information.)
Woodcutters: 3-in-6 chance of valid information, 5-in-6 chance for location (Backenwold, High Wold, Hag's Addle).
Generic NPC from Region, 1-in-6 chance to know location, always wrong information [see below]
[...]
Notable Trees of the Brackenwold
1. Brackenpine
Appearance: Pine with curled frond-like needles. Sweaty bark.
Lore: Notable for its needles which bend and curl like the fronds of a young fern. The wood of such pines carry far more moisture than they need to, and pulping said tree can produce a powerful earthy-tasting syrup which is used in many hermetic remedies; particularly for toothaches.
2. Sweet Monkswood
Appearance: Oak with wide boughs, lacking leaves at the top. Smells sweetly.
Lore: A malady which effects young oak trees around their fortieth year, causing all leaves above a certain height to fall off and never grow back which in turn creates a strange tonsured look to the tree. Tea brewed from these "bald" twigs are sweet like candies and worth a fare amount on the spice market.
[...]
Notable Trees of the High Wold
1. Subtle Birch Hornwood
Appearance: Birch whose branches sprawl out like antlers. Pungent spice smell to the bark.
Lore: A specific form of birch tree, mutated by the longstanding and capricious presence of goatmen. Branches grow gnarled and smooth rather than straight like a traditional birch. When peeled, the bark can make a soothing tea and the wood cannot be stained, remaining white as snow.
[...]
Notable Trees of the Tithelands
1. Goman's Spine
Appearance: Off-grey Ash which grows with spiky nub-like branches towards its base. Smells of cowardice.
Lore: These ash trees grow in the gaps between burial mounds or on the scrubland of ancient battlefields where the Goman invaders were beaten back by the men of Tolmenwode and Goatmen natives. Tapping a foot before the top of the trunk will allow a syrup of glooming green to flow, which if applied to weapons can rip at the spectres of spectral undead as though they were physical. Armor or weapons made of this tree are said to always break upon striking at a True Emeraude warrior.
[...]
What sort of wrong information was given? [d6]
1. You were told to consume the wrong part of the tree, which in turn will cause rashes, hallucinations, and general sickness what with you having consumed a hearty amount of wood.
2. You were given directions to the wrong tree, and thus you've harvested components from a completely normal version of the sublime off-shoot. You have nothing of additional worth and consuming it will grant no great effect.
3. You have been informed that the tree and its components are horrifically poisonous unless you perform a ritual of salting wherein you beseech the Faerie Princes to let you consume the item in question properly.
[...]
Design notes:
- Wilderness is a potential source of great adventures and resources
- Use random generators and lists, to spice up wilderness descriptions and resources
- Use random tables also as a reference to design something original (uses, descriptions, locations, effects and so on)
- In a low-fantasy setting, consider using herbs and plants as the only source of healing, for example
- If you use random generators, remember to keep track of your results; have the same results to come up again in the future for consistency
- Very long and detailed lists with be unnecessary and even conterproductive (it takes a lot of time to write them, they are hard for others to study, for you to remember, and to customize, plus they are also difficult to reference on the fly)
- A good idea with herbs and plants might be to combine two (or more) of them together to obtain a certain effect (instead of having a single plant to have an effect like if it was a magical potion)
- When gathering information about plants and herbs, you also might be given false information, or you might have to do experiements to discover the effects of a single herb or of a combination
- Use random generators and lists, to spice up wilderness descriptions and resources
- Use random tables also as a reference to design something original (uses, descriptions, locations, effects and so on)
- In a low-fantasy setting, consider using herbs and plants as the only source of healing, for example
- If you use random generators, remember to keep track of your results; have the same results to come up again in the future for consistency
- Very long and detailed lists with be unnecessary and even conterproductive (it takes a lot of time to write them, they are hard for others to study, for you to remember, and to customize, plus they are also difficult to reference on the fly)
- A good idea with herbs and plants might be to combine two (or more) of them together to obtain a certain effect (instead of having a single plant to have an effect like if it was a magical potion)
- When gathering information about plants and herbs, you also might be given false information, or you might have to do experiements to discover the effects of a single herb or of a combination
