Herbalists Primer (GDR)

From screaming mandragoras to shape-shifting deadly nightshade to hawthorns holding portals to the fey realms - the world of plant folklore is full of fascinating stories, magical rituals, and simple spells that are quite unbreakable.

 

Herbalist's Primer is a system-agnostic illustrated guide to real-world magical plants. Inspired by the 19th-century herbalists and the millennia of folklore, myths, and legends, it brings a wealth of easily-accessible, organized information straight to your gaming table. 

 

About the book:

 

Every entry lists—if possible—their culinary, medicinal, magical, and poisonous properties. Each entry includes basic botanical information, a handy scale reference, commonly used names, and a short description, so there’s no need to read the whole thing if you’re just browsing for inspiration!

We have chosen the most interesting magical plants of the world’s folklore, from the Arctic to Cape Horn. We’ve read numerous herbaria, and took a deep dive into the planet’s biodiversity.

And now we bring it all to you: nicely organized for your convenience and fully illustrated!

 

The Team:

 

Created by Anna Urbanek from Double Proficiency
Additional writing by Jakub Wisz
Editing by Jarrett Crader and Fiona Maeve Geist, members of the MoonRat Conspiracy
Science edits by Rishi R. Masalia

Published by Exalted Funeral Press and Double Proficiency

 

 

Herbalist's Primer - Hardcover Book 

• A full-color, hardcover book (6" x 9") with 360 pages of botanical, ethnobotanical, folklore, and tabletop roleplaying material. 
•  100 illustrated, detailed descriptions of magically-inclined plants from around the world - from aconite to yew.
•  Short, sweet, and useful lore chapters on the basics of botany, herb gathering, preparation, alchemy, poisons & antidotes, and more!
•  Recipes for magical and medicinal concoctions, written in-world and in accordance with occult lore of the ages past (mix aconite with animal fat, then rub it on a broom handle for an excellent flying experience!).
•  Tools for creating original magical plants, plot hooks, quest ideas, and a botanical Latin primer to give your custom, fantastical plants a semi-proper scientific name.
• Convenient tables with magical and medicinal properties of plants, astronomical correspondences, and the language of flowers - all according to the highest authorities in the fields.
• An index, a detailed table of contents, references, bibliography—everything you’d expect from a popular-science publication that will make your herbalist cry the tears of joy.