Report 1173

Report #1173
Skillset: Herbs Skill: New
 Org: Minstrels Status: Rejected Jun 2013
Furies' Decision:
We want to hold off on this for now. We don't necessarily mind adding new herbs
to those planes, but not just for the sake of adding them. We are also amenable
to adding existing herbs to those planes.
Problem: While the typical problem of "we want something someone else has" is
often rejected, we thought it would be good to suggest new herbs to be found
only on the planes of Fire and Air. Resistance to the effects of heat and high
winds are difficult to come by and through this report, we'd like to see some
solutions brought to the table.
Solution #1: Add a new herb named Flameblossom (or somesuch) that would offer
 an increase to resistance to the effects of hot weather when
 eaten. Lore: The Flameblossom plant's inherent magical resistance
 to the constant heat of the Fire elemental plane can be passed on
 to those who eat it.
Solution #2: Add a new herb named Cloudberry (or somesuch) that would offer an
 increase to resistance to the effects of high winds when eaten.
 Lore: The Cloudberry plant's inherent magical resistance to the
 constant winds of the Air elemental plane can be passed on to
 those who eat it.
Player Comments:
---[Veyrzhul on 5/2 @ 18:20 writes]:
I'd prefer currently existing herbs being made available on Air and Fire.
---[Thoros on 5/2 @ 18:42 writes]:
Agreeing with Veyrzhul
---[Kregarn on 5/2 @ 19:16 writes]:
Could you back that opinion up with some reasons? Thematically, I don't see it
working as nothing would logically survive. (I know, magic.) Maybe you all don't
deal with it often but there are no sources of resistance to High Winds and the
few resistances we have to heat are pretty small.
---[Veyrzhul on 5/2 @ 19:30 writes]:
The main reason for me is that introducing new herbs just for the sake of there
being something to harvest on Air and Fire seems unnecessary effort just to even
out something that isn't really an imbalance to begin with. If there are really
no suitable herbs for it (I'm indeed no expert on herbs), then I'd rather leave
it as is.
---[Vivet on 5/2 @ 19:54 writes]:
From Help 9.4.7: "Herbs are very susceptible to elemental magic and will slowly
wither in locations where a mage has established a demesne. Also, herbs grow
much slower on tainted ground. Those who know the Nature skill will be able to
guard locations against elemental magic and fire." - Making pre-existing herbs
suddenly able to grow on Fire/Air would be a pretty big stretch lorewise, and I
can't think of a conceivable argument for earwort/merbloom to suddenly start
growing on them either. If Kregarn wishes to dedicate his potential report for
this month to this, then that is his decision, and I see no real issue with the
herbs he is suggesting.
---[Veyrzhul on 5/3 @ 02:28 writes]:
Well yea, it's not a big issue either way.
---[Shuyin on 5/4 @ 02:30 writes]:
Yeah sure
---[Viynain on 5/4 @ 03:30 writes]:
I would prefer if they were flameblossoms and cloudberries since they're plants
that already thematically exist in other areas.
---[Enyalida on 5/4 @ 05:02 writes]:
I support this, with the caveat that Fierceweather negates the defenses. If you
are in the demesne of a Shaman who has you enemied, you should be facing the
full brunt of the weather. In every other situation, these defenses would be
quite welcome!
---[Kregarn on 5/4 @ 17:51 writes]:
Flameblossoms and cloudberries would be great as names. As for fierceweather, if
it also negates other defenses such as clothing and such, I don't see why it
wouldn't in this instance. Not sure how that particular ability works.
---[Chade on 5/22 @ 19:56 writes]:
Supported, with the movement malus on Fire and Air (also in the Skarch and areas
like Icewynd) these would be very welcome.
---[Wobou on 6/6 @ 05:05 writes]:
Unlike adding new afflictions I don't feel adding new herbs complicates the game
so I support this, especially as these herbs would not be mandatory for combat.
I agree with Enyalida that this shouldn't impact shaman (and additionally pyro
and aero) demesnes.
---[Nihta on 6/11 @ 04:29 writes]:
I like this idea very much! Support solutions 1 and 2. I also agree with
Enyalida that Shamanism shouldn't have its effects reduced by these two herbs.
---[Akyaevin on 6/13 @ 23:07 writes]:
I'd like to see both of these. Although would a resistance to heat or a
resistance to cold be more useful?
---[Kregarn on 6/21 @ 12:57 writes]:
Resistance to cold weather is actually easier to come by while resistance to
heat isn't so much.
---[Steingrim on 6/30 @ 23:19 writes]:
Supported
---[Steingrim on 6/30 @ 23:25 writes]:
Additional herb ideas. Air herb could give a bit of tolerance to alcohol, an
herb could give a bit of tolerance to insanity. A fire herb could give a defense
which could backlash some damage when the target has been forcibly moved
(summoned, etc) sort of like psymet mindfield. An herb could give fireblood,
those causing the person to bleed take some damage as their victims blood sprays
on them.
---[Steingrim on 6/30 @ 23:27 writes]:
I also wanted to point out that not everything needs to be a plant in the
traditional sense. You could have a new mushroom, a type of resin or amber,
ashes, feathers, embers, etcetera.