Herbalism in application

[LadyV]

I had a thought today. I know herbalism has been brought up before but how about putting it into application. As in if you don't have it a plant may be visible and actually have an eat option. Maybe you get lucky and its harmless and maybe you get unlucky and its poison or makes you sick. How about the concept we don't instantly know what something does or all its uses simply by collecting it?

This opens up new areas for other skills as well. Poisons are a popular request and by learning which plants do what could be helpful. Just as learning some plants are medicinals. We start getting in to apothecary work and such.

Putting herbalism into practice also should apply to crops. I always enjoyed the concept one skill should be applicable to another to augment or boost it. Maybe herbalism allow better food preservation or opens new recipes.

Let's apply our skills a bit more I guess is my suggestion.

[epicless]

I had a thought today. I know herbalism has been brought up before but how about putting it into application. As in if you don't have it a plant may be visible and actually have an eat option. Maybe you get lucky and its harmless and maybe you get unlucky and its poison or makes you sick. How about the concept we don't instantly know what something does or all its uses simply by collecting it?

This opens up new areas for other skills as well. Poisons are a popular request and by learning which plants do what could be helpful. Just as learning some plants are medicinals. We start getting in to apothecary work and such.

Putting herbalism into practice also should apply to crops. I always enjoyed the concept one skill should be applicable to another to augment or boost it. Maybe herbalism allow better food preservation or opens new recipes.

Let's apply our skills a bit more I guess is my suggestion.

I can think of unorthodox applications of poisons to home defense. You could mix it in with existing foodstuffs to give raiders a nasty surprise.

Might be difficult to balance, though. Would poisoning food be a crime?

[Arcanist]

I can think of unorthodox applications of poisons to home defense. You could mix it in with existing foodstuffs to give raiders a nasty surprise.

Might be difficult to balance, though. Would poisoning food be a crime?

Or bake poisoned pumpkin pies and sell them to your enemy.

[Amanda44]

I would love to have more plants, edible mushrooms, flowering plants and herbalism would be great for adding certain temporary boosts when added to cooking and in opening up new recipes but I am a bit cautious of going down the poisons and illness route.

I used to think it would be a good idea but after reading up a bit on Salems mechanics in this area I have changed my mind somewhat, I really don't want to have to waste time nursing sick chars back to health on top of everything else I have to do, lol, it doesn't sound fun to me and I also think we have enough of a risk to our lives as it is.

But aside from that I'd like to have more in the way of both skills and plants.

[epicless]

I can think of unorthodox applications of poisons to home defense. You could mix it in with existing foodstuffs to give raiders a nasty surprise.

Might be difficult to balance, though. Would poisoning food be a crime?

Or bake poisoned pumpkin pies and sell them to your enemy.

What a delightful idea.

[Redkat]

how about various plants to dye stuff ? clothes etc

[venatorvenator]

Might be difficult to balance, though. Would poisoning food be a crime?

Or bake poisoned pumpkin pies and sell them to your enemy.

Is trading bloodstained items a crime?
Poisoning food that isn't yours could yield the same scents as eating it currently does.
And a simple way to not make this too exploitative e.g. in trading would be making poison detectable with the same system as perc*exploration and int*stealth.

I really like this idea and I propose that an expensive countermeasure should also be possible - removing poison. Expensive in the sense that it could cost something rare as pearl to craft, or even new plants that are very hard to find. There's an entire new way of playing that adding herbalism can bring to the game.

[LadyV]

Well Im not sure about poisoned food in game but maybe if it had an antidote we could make. However I am all for its use on weapons or in hunting.

I think all plants we discover initially should have a generic picture until we know what it is or have some skill that lets us identify it. That's why i suggested a eat option to everything. Just like foraging is the ability and knowledge to collect plants it should not give you instant knowledge of them if you have never used them.

[epicless]

how about various plants to dye stuff ? clothes etc

Fund it. I'm sick of staring at the same colored armor sets all the time.