Mandrake

:Habitats: Forest, Plains
:Origin: ML (Europe); Classic: Fantasy Bestiary
The mandrake, or mandragora, is a powerful and magical plant. There are more stories about this plant than any other.
It grows only in the Mediterranean area towards the Persian Gulf, and is not found north of the Alps. There are plants in Britain and America bearing this name, but they are not the real mandrake. It is about a foot in diameter, with yellow flowers and a one-inch (2.5 cm) fruit. The root is shaped roughly like a human being, black on the outside, white inside. Most roots are four to ten inches long (10 – 30 cm), but there have been records of 18-inch (45 cm) ones.
The mandrake was used extensively in medical practices of the ancients. Its primary uses are as an anesthetic (painkiller) and soporific (sleep-inducer). Most surgeons give their patients three cups of mandrake wine before operating on them, which will blank out all pain – however, taking four cups causes madness. A successful Physician roll is needed to correctly judge 
the dosage — too little does not alleviate the pain, and too much produces long-term derangement, the nature and degree of which is left to the GM.
There are historical instances of mandrake-drugged wine being left as “spoils” by a retreating army. The “victors” would drink the wine, fall into a stupor, and be slaughtered in their sleep by their crafty foes.
Whoever digs up a mandrake dies from the shriek it makes as it is uprooted. The usual method of procuring one is to dig around the root, exposing 90 percent of it. Then a cord is tied from the root to a dog’s tail. The dog is then enticed forward with an offer of meat, and dies as it pulls the root up. The dog is buried with honors for having sacrificed itself, and the mandrake is safe to take away.
The whole root is highly valued. It has magical properties, but only two are universal — the rest are left to
GM mandate (see Rumors). The ancients universally believed that the mandrake root was a potent aphrodisiac and cured sterility in any female of any species. Treat the former as if the user has Lecherousness for 12 hours (unless taken in quantities sufficient to drug to sleep), and the latter as the GMdesires. Mandrake roots are in the shape of human figures, some male, some female. The roots must be taken care of to be potent — they need to be washed, dressed, and carefully laid to bed every day until they are ground up for use. Many roots were carved into human figures and sold as mandrake roots in the middle ages as a sham — a Botany or Naturalist-2 roll is needed to spot the sham, with the GM doing the rolling in secret.
Rumors: Many say that three circles must be drawn around the plant before digging it up, or it will kill everyone within 20 yards. Others state that it is fatal to stand downwind of a mandrake or use bare hands to touch the living plant. The flowers are said to glow like candles at night. The mandrake can foretell the future. The root's owner may cast Oneiromancy (M108). This may be done nightly or once weekly. as the GM allows. The mandrake is proof against venomous bites. Anyone who owns and takes care of a mandrake root has HT+5 to resist the effects of venom. Alternately, the Game Master may allow the mandrake’s guardian to be invulnerable to all venom. The root is also believed to neutralize any poison, not just venomous bites, if made into a wine and ingested.
Owners of a cared-for mandrake root have their eyesight and hearing improved - +1 (or more, if the GM desires) to all Vision and/or Hearing rolls. It may also turn Hard of Hearing into normal hearing, Bad Sight into normal sight, Blindness into Bad Sight and Deafness into Hard of Hearing. Owners of a mandrake root
would also suffer less from the effects of a Flash or Thunderclap spell, or at least be given a bonus to the HT roll, if this rumor is true.
Mandrakes are also said to prevent headaches. Those who own a mandrake root are said to gain material goods easily. Caring for a mandrake root grants a +5 to all Merchant skill rolls if this is true. Again, those who take care of a mandrake root cannot be approached by evil spirits — no closer than 3 yards. Instead of “curing sterility,” the mandrake is sometimes said to cause pregnancy — guaranteed, like it or not! Category:Plants