Herbs in Gurps
pca...@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com
experimenting with different classes in my world and would like to
incorperate herbs as an alternative to the various healing spells
(and other magic spells for that matter) for those characters without
access to the magic.
Specifically, I have designed a Druid class that professes in animal
spells, plant spells, and a collection of other spells in magic I
gathered together to form a new college called "Druid's Way". Included
spells such as Staff, Holy Symbol (mutation of Power Stone... uses Mistletoe
instead), various weather spells, etc. I decided that the clerics in
the world were the only ones who could cast from the Healing college
(except everyone else could still learn Recover Strength) and that Druids
would NOT have this ability.
So I began to think about what I could do for the druid characters
(and other classes for that matter) to allow them at least some magical
healing power without being an Alchemist or a Cleric. Herbs popped into
mind so I was wondering if anyone else has tried using some form of herb
rules in their game?
I'm using alot of the optional rules for injury outlined in Gurps Basic Set.
I'm also scaling back the overall effectiveness of the Minor/Major healing
spells. They can only heal non-crippling wounds. If an arm is broken it
will have to heal on it's own even if all of the HT of the character is
restored via the healing spell. Ditto with the basic healing potion.
I want herbs to be useful for such injuries though. Gives a little variety
to play and I hope to use it as a possible plot/adventure theme.
Anyone try something like this with herbs?...
Pete
Bryan Hollebone
treatment of lagomorphs.
While disticntly lapine in tone, it should be easily adaptible to say, dogs,
sheep or even walruses (aquatic herbs, don't you know). For humans, you'ld
have to figure out what to do in place of the sense of smell...
arne jamtgaard
<pca...@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com> wrote:
>Has anyone else tried to use Herbs in a frp gurps game? I've been
>experimenting with different classes in my world and would like to
>incorperate herbs as an alternative to the various healing spells
>(and other magic spells for that matter) for those characters without
>access to the magic.
>Anyone try something like this with herbs?...
If you can find it, GURPS Witch World has a whole chapter on herb
lore. I used this in my campaign to give non-mage healers back some
of their edge. Everything from sleeping draughts, to magic
resistance, to healing limbs. :)
>Pete
Good luck!
Arne
--
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Darin McGrew
> Has anyone else tried to use Herbs in a frp gurps game?
Check out GURPS Bunnies & Burrows. Yes, I'm serious. There are rules for
herbalist bunnies that should be adaptable to other genres fairly easily.
--
Darin McGrew <mcg...@rahul.net> Soli Deo Gloria!
Ken Walton
pca...@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com writes:
> Anyone try something like this with herbs?...
Well, you might like to know that:
i) There are rules for using Herbs in GURPS Witch World
ii) We've included lots of magical trees and what you can do with their
leaves/twigs in the forthcoming GURPS Pagan Celts. I don't think our Druids
resemble your ideas much, but so little is known about them that anyone can
guess :-) There is a lovely genuine Celtic invisibility spell, which works
perfectly, but in order for it to work, you have to be carrying a 15 foot long
hazel pole. :-)
----
Ken Walton
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="The Earth is degenerating these days. Bribery and corruption abound. =
=Children no longer mind their parents, every man wants to write a book,=
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= - Assyrian Stone Tablet, c.2800BC =
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MA Lloyd
>pca...@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com wrote:
>> Has anyone else tried to use Herbs in a frp gurps game?
>Check out GURPS Bunnies & Burrows. Yes, I'm serious. There are rules for
>herbalist bunnies that should be adaptable to other genres fairly easily.
There are also herbalism rules in GURPS Camelot, perhaps they are the same
rules, Bunnies & Burrows is one of the few GURPS books I have not seen,
despite looking for it. The system seems workable, sort of a toned down
Alchemy. The skill also gets mentioned in Religion, but the rules for
using it are not there. I would think it OUGHT to be in the upcoming Pagan
Celts, but a grep on the playtest draft just now didn't turn up the keywords
I tried didn't turn it up. Witchworld addresses a few herbs, but not well.
Xiphias Gladius
> Has anyone else tried to use Herbs in a frp gurps game? I've been
> experimenting with different classes in my world and would like to
> incorperate herbs as an alternative to the various healing spells
> (and other magic spells for that matter) for those characters
> without access to the magic.
From GURPS Ice Age, and, I believe, elsewhere:
Herbalist (Mental/Hard) Defaults to Naturalist-6
This is actually the TL0 version of the Physician skill. Herbalism is
the art of making and administering herbal cures and remedies. An
herbalist has a thorough knowledge of local plants, their medicinal
properties, and how they may be applied. He can also identify and
locate them in the wild.
This skill is used in several ways. First, an herbalist can simply
roll against his skill level to find an herb which will be helpfull in
a given situation. The better the roll, the more helpful the plant.
This usage is appropriate for crisis situations when the herbalist
doesn't have all day to look around for just the right plant. If he
*does* have all day, he may roll once per hour to find the herb best
suited to his current needs, subject to its availability in the
current environment. . .
And so forth. The skill goes on to say that the character may also
prepare concoctions from herbs that enhance their effects -- critical
failures get nasty.
Besides this, in the Basic Set description of "Physician," they
mention that a TL4 or lower Physician can also find herbs in the wild.
- Ian
Lin Choinski
"A useful guide to herbal health care". It has a host of various herbs, each
rated A-C for various good effects.
Of course, being a gamer, I'm perverting this info into some sort of Natralist
or Alchemical guide book, including HT rolls and the like. If anyone is
interested, I'll post it here when done.
-- Burton
Pee Kitty
: pca...@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com wrote:
: > Has anyone else tried to use Herbs in a frp gurps game?
: Check out GURPS Bunnies & Burrows. Yes, I'm serious. There are rules for
: herbalist bunnies that should be adaptable to other genres fairly easily.
Just a plug: Everyone, check out GURPS Bunnies & Burrows for a *LOT* of
stuff. I mean, a real lot. It was the first book to have the "+2 to a
single defense, instead of two different defenses" rule for All-Out
Defense. It's the only book I've seen that told me how much damage
shaking a person by the neck can do. It was my inspiration for revamping
psi Healing, as it is *THE* book on psionic healing, even putting David
Pulver's section in GURPS Psionics to shame. It's got herb rules that are
adaptable to damn near any campaign. It has intelligent language rules
(though they still need a bit of work). It's a damn good book.
--
Rev. Pee Kitty, of the order Malkavian-Dobbsian
Meow!
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rosalyn rice
(most of which are adaptable to non-human characters with claws - I dread
the first mutant with adamantium claws that learns the Rip maneuver) and
it's the only official GURPS book to have the rules on team acrobatics
(originally from Roleplayer).
In short, Steffan O'Sullivan did a really good job with the book.
If he were still around on the net I'd congratulate him again.
Thomas Barnes
David Conner
I tried playing Herb Tarlek in GURPS once, but it didn't work out too
well....
Slaede Wilson
> Has anyone else tried to use Herbs in a frp gurps game? I've been
> experimenting with different classes in my world and would like to
> incorperate herbs as an alternative to the various healing spells
> (and other magic spells for that matter) for those characters without
> access to the magic.
There's a reasonably comprehensive list in the Middle Earth
Role-Playing game (MERP) that you could adapt to GURPS without too much
difficulty. It's not worth buying it just for that but if you can borrow
it from someone give it a look...
Slaede.