Herbalism, putting it to use

[cure]

I seem to recall there actually being a game mechanic related to the Profession (herbalism) skill (perhaps affording a bonus on heal checks) but I can find no trace of it and I wonder whether I am recalling something from edition 1 or 2.

There is this very limited use of herbs from the SRD:

"An afflicted character who eats a sprig of belladonna (also called wolfsbane) within 1 hour of a lycanthrope’s attack can attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save to shake off the affliction. If a healer administers the herb, use the character’s save bonus or the healer’s Heal modifier, whichever is higher. The character gets only one chance, no matter how much belladonna is consumed. The belladonna must be reasonably fresh (picked within the last week)."

It seems a pity to me, given the lore in and out of Ravenloft concerning herbalism, that herbalism has no significant effects within the rules aside from paying the bills.

Some points where it should come into play include:

-a replacement for Knowledge (nature) when making Lore Checks involving plants;
-a bonus for heal checks (some or all but in any case those involving plant based poisons and probably diseases);
-a bonus for craft (poison) when using plants;
-a bonus for survival checks involving foraging;

Profession (herbalism) DC 20 check & 12 hours in Falkovnia's forests the herbs, salves, and poultices of a healer's kit may be replendished. (Gaz II, p. 90)
Profession (herbalsim) DC 16 detect Dapplewort in food. (Gaz III, Dementlieu, p. 13)

Others?

Thoughts?

[Korumil]

I've been playing a Druid for about three years now (just got back to 9th level after being level drained) and one of the resources I found useful were the Gazetteers sections on local Flora. Most of the plants mentioned produce powerful results when properly harvested and applied. Besides that, I believe I've read something about (with the right herbs) being able to concoct minor healing potions doing approximately 1d4+1 points of healing. While this is usually worthless to most party members it is occasionally helpful when trying to keep friendly/neccessary NPCs alive and functioning, as well as stabilizing dying characters if one has spent all healing powers available for the day.

[Joël of the FoS]

You could also take a look at the infusion idea, from Masters of the Wild (p31) - it's a divine spell stored in an infusion for drinking.

Joël

[impworks]

If you don't mind doing a bit of work because its not d20 / D&D take a look at Maelstrom (1984) published by Puffin Books and now available as a PDF under licence by Arion Games. It is famous for its section on herbs (partly because so many other games since are believed to have borrowed from it)

[Hazgarn]

There were some good lists of herb-rules on this site

I never got a chance to look through them completely, though.