Equipment Notes

I've included this index to account for goods, services and general objects for which I have created special rules in my world. See Trade & Equipment.

Alchemy

• Blue mass. A medicinal compound widely used in Europe and the Americas. It consists chiefly of finely ground elemental mercury mixed with a base, often honey, sugar or licorice, to form a pill or paste. This substance is part of the broader category of "mercurial medicines," used extensively to purge toxins and restore balance to the body's humours. A treatment for madness and against charm spells, as it clenses the body and mind of impurities.

• Boric serum. Versatile and potent alchemical compound known for its unique properties. As an anti-hemorrhagent, the serum rapidly coagulates blood, staunching severe wounds and internal bleeding with remarkable efficiency. Applied topically or consumed in diluted doses, it stabilises life-threatening injuries, buying precious time for more advanced healing or recovery. Equally effective against fungal infections, acting as a purifying agent that eliminates spores and fungal growth on skin, in wounds, or within afflicted tissues. Its cleansing properties make it invaluable in regions plagued by damp climates or environments rife with fungal infestations, such as swamps or underground caverns. Exhibits a potent insecticidal effect, disrupting the physiology of many insects and arachnids. When applied directly or introduced to an environment, the serum incapacitates pests, from common swarms of flies to larger threats like giant insects, by interfering with their internal systems. This makes it a practical tool for adventurers encountering infestations or facing creatures that rely on swarming behaviour.

• Camphor oil. A waxy, aromatic solid that liquefies under gentle heat, prized for its flammable and versatile properties. When burned, its clear, bright flame produces a sharp, distinctive scent, making it a practical source of light and warmth in settings where other fuels are scarce. Its flammability also lends itself to alchemical and incendiary applications, such as fire-starting kits or improvised firebombs. As an insect repellent, camphor oil is highly effective. Its strong, penetrating odour drives away a wide range of pests, from ordinary mosquitoes to larger, more aggressive insectoid creatures. Applied to clothing or burned in a brazier, it creates a protective barrier against infestations, making it an essential tool for explorers, travelers or adventurers venturing into dense forests or insect-heavy regions.

• Citronella oil. A potent and natural insect repellent, known for its strong, citrus-like aroma that masks scents attractive to pests. The oil disrupts the sensory processes of insects, driving them away and reducing the likelihood of bites or infestations. Citronella oil is highly valued by adventurers and travelers, particularly in regions where insects pose both physical and disease-related threats. Its simplicity and effectiveness make it an essential component of any survival kit or alchemical toolkit.

• Devil's dung. : A foul-smelling, gummy resin renowned for its potent effects against supernatural influence. When consumed, the resin grants the victim of possession a +2 bonus to saving throws against charm or similar mind-affecting spells and effects, even in cases where no saving throw was previously allowed. The substance disrupts the metaphysical hold on the victim's mind, weakening the influence of external forces and bolstering their willpower. The administration of devil's dung is not without its challenges. The resin's intensely bitter and repugnant taste often provokes a strong aversive reaction, causing the victim to resist taking it willingly. It is common for the victim to require restraint in order to be force-fed the medication, especially when the possession compels them to refuse assistance. Despite its unpleasant nature, devil's dung is a sought-after remedy for those dealing with possessions, enchantments or curses, offering a rare chance to reclaim control over one's mind and spirit.

• Four thieves' vinegar. A powerful and aromatic tonic famed for its ability to combat pestilence and infection. This mixture of vinegar and medicinal herbs has a legendary history, often associated with tales of survival during plagues and other deadly outbreaks. Its antiseptic and restorative properties make it a prized remedy for reducing the severity of infections when administered by a skilled physician. The vinegar is effective against diseases that afflict various systems of the body. It helps cleanse the blood of impurities, slowing the progression of systemic infections. For illnesses affecting breathing, it reduces inflammation and eases respiratory strain. Infections targeting joints and tendons benefit from its ability to soothe pain and swelling, while muscle conditions linked to fever or illness are eased as it relaxes tightness and cramps.

• Faerie oil. A rare and potent substance with effects that are both alluring and dangerous, particularly to faeries and other fey creatures. Its shimmering, iridescent appearance and sweet, almost otherworldly scent make it irresistible to those of the fey realm. When inhaled or ingested, the oil acts as a powerful enticement, creating an immediate and intense craving for more. Its addictive nature is compounded by its hallucinogenic properties, which immerse the user in vivid, dreamlike visions that distort perception and amplify emotions. For faeries, this can lead to disorientation, heightened states of euphoria or even susceptibility to manipulation. Faerie Oil also serves as an animation catalyst, imbuing inanimate objects with a spark of temporary life. When applied to a construct, statue or even a collection of mundane objects, the oil awakens them with a semblance of sentience, allowing them to move, perform simple tasks or respond to basic commands. The duration of this animation depends on the quantity and purity of the oil used, as well as the complexity of the animated form.

• Gripcolle. A gummy, magical adhesive renowned for its remarkable bonding power and versatility. When applied to surfaces, the substance activates instantly, creating a bond strong enough to secure even heavy or unwieldy objects together. Its magical nature allows it to adhere to a wide variety of materials, including stone, metal, wood and fabric, regardless of texture or finish. The bond created by Gripcolle is temporary, typically lasting for a short duration before the substance loses its potency and the items separate cleanly. This property makes it an invaluable tool for adventurers and artisans alike, as it provides a reliable but non-permanent solution for tasks such as repairing broken items, creating improvised barriers or holding unstable structures in place.

• Gum ammoniac. A gummy resin prized for its medicinal properties, particularly in the treatment of respiratory illnesses. Known for its strong, sharp scent and pliable texture, the resin is carefully prepared and administered by skilled physicians to alleviate infections and restore proper breathing. When used as part of a treatment, Gum Ammoniac acts as a powerful expectorant and antimicrobial agent. It helps to clear obstructions in the airways, reduce inflammation in the lungs and combat infection-causing pathogens. Its effectiveness is particularly noted in cases of diseases that impair breathing, such as pneumonia, bronchitis or other respiratory ailments. A physician employing Gum Ammoniac can reduce the degree of infection in such conditions by 0–3 points, depending on the severity of the disease and the expertise of the practitioner.

• Healing salve. A potent, restorative substance widely used for its ability to mend wounds and restore vitality. When applied directly to an injury, the salve's soothing properties take effect almost immediately, stimulating the body’s natural healing processes. It is particularly effective in closing open wounds, preventing further blood loss and reducing the risk of infection. Each dose of Healing Salve restores 1-4 hit points, depending on the severity of the wound and the condition of the recipient. In addition to replenishing physical vitality, the salve helps knit torn flesh and seal cuts, leaving behind only faint scars in most cases.

• Quicksilver: a silvery wash that temporarily grants ordinary weapons the ability to affect creatures vulnerable only to silver. It is applied as a thin coating and remains effective for a short duration, usually about an hour, before wearing off. Quicksilver is commonly used on blades and arrowheads but can be applied to other weapons as well. It is expensive and must be handled carefully, as prolonged skin contact can cause mild poisoning. Alchemists produce it through a refining process that involves mercury and other rare ingredients.

• Vitriol (blue): a copper-infused acid, sometimes called "flower of copper," used in medical treatments and alchemical processes. When properly applied by a skilled physician, it can reduce the severity of eye infections by 0–3 points. Its antiseptic properties make it valuable in treating conditions that threaten vision, though improper use can cause irritation or damage. Blue vitriol is also used in dyeing, metalworking and as a reagent in various alchemical preparations.

• Vitriol (green): an iron-infused acid used in medical treatments and alchemical applications. When administered correctly by a skilled physician, it can reduce the severity of infections affecting hormonal organs by 0–3 points. Its astringent and antiseptic properties make it useful in treating internal infections, though improper use can cause tissue damage. Green vitriol is also employed in dyeing, metallurgy and certain alchemical reactions.

• Wood alcohol: also called wood spirit, this substance serves as an anti-freeze and solvent. It functions as an acid against molds and jellies, breaking down their structures on contact. While useful in preservation and alchemical applications, it is highly toxic if ingested or improperly handled.

Herbs & Plants

• Agrimonia: a natural flowering herb known for its medicinal and fertility-enhancing properties. When properly prepared and administered, it doubles the chance of pregnancy occurring. Often used in herbal remedies and midwifery, it is sometimes combined with other treatments to support reproductive health.

• Alder catkins: A natural flowering structure with medicinal properties, used in the treatment of skin diseases and minor wounds. When properly prepared and applied by a physician, it can reduce the severity of skin infections by 0–3 points. Additionally, it acts as a healing salve for damage caused by insect bites, though it does not counteract poison. Alder catkins are often a more affordable alternative to other healing remedies.

• Aloe vera: A natural oil extracted from the aloe plant, known for its cooling and restorative properties. When applied to the skin or consumed in a prepared form, it mitigates the negative effects of uncomfortably hot temperatures by restoring 1 ability point. It is commonly used in desert regions and by travelers exposed to extreme heat.

• Amaranth: A natural flower with legendary properties, believed to grant immortality when properly prepared. The exact method of its use is known only to a few sages and alchemists, and its effects may depend on rare rituals or additional ingredients.

• Angel's trumpet: A flowering plant that serves as a source for poisonous atropine and scopolamine. These compounds are used in medicine and alchemy but can cause severe hallucinations, paralysis or death if improperly administered.

• Apple: Also known as Malus domestica, this common fruit contains seeds that produce a mildly poisonous substance, amygdalin. When metabolised, amygdalin releases cyanide in small amounts, making excessive consumption of the seeds potentially harmful.

• Belladonna: A herbaceous plant and one of the most toxic known, serving as a powerful source of atropine. Even small doses can cause severe poisoning, including delirium, paralysis or death. Despite its dangers, it has medical and alchemical applications when properly prepared.

• Betel nut: When prepared by an apothecary as a powder, it helps defend the body against parasitic infestations. Chewing the nut in its raw form is common in some cultures, though excessive use may have harmful effects.

• Bloodroot: A flowering plant native to North America that produces the insinuative poison sanguinarine. When applied to wounds or ingested in sufficient quantities, it can cause tissue damage, nausea and other toxic effects. Some herbalists use it in controlled doses for medicinal purposes.

• Broom: A flowering poisonous legume native to the British Isles, capable of inducing paralysis when consumed in sufficient quantities. Though sometimes used in traditional remedies, its toxic properties make it dangerous if improperly prepared.

• Bush lily: A plant native to Southern Africa that produces a relatively mild poison, causing breathlessness when ingested. While not typically lethal, prolonged exposure or higher doses can lead to respiratory distress.

• Cassava: A woody tuber native to South America and a source of poisonous linamarin, which can be processed to produce cyanide. While cassava is an important food source, it must be properly prepared to remove its toxic compounds before consumption.

• Common ivy: A climbing vine native to Europe and Africa, producing a mild insinuative poison. While not usually lethal, ingestion can cause nausea, vomiting and skin irritation upon contact.

• False hellebore: A perennial flowering plant found in dry meadows and steppes throughout Eurasia, serving as a source of poisonous aconitine. This toxin affects the nervous system, causing weakness, numbness and potentially fatal paralysis.

• Fire lily: A poisonous flowering plant that is toxic when ingested, acting as a source of colchicine. While sometimes used in controlled medicinal treatments, improper use can lead to severe poisoning.

• Foxglove: A flowering plantain found throughout Europe, known for containing relatively mild poisons. Ingesting any part of the plant can cause nausea, dizziness and heart irregularities, though it has medicinal applications when properly processed.

• Gympie gympie: A shrub whose leaves deliver a painful sting when touched, often used as a source for insinuative poisons. The sting can cause intense, long-lasting pain, with effects persisting for weeks or even months in severe cases.

• Hemlock: An extremely poisonous flowering plant that acts as a source for coniine. Even small doses can cause respiratory failure and death, making it one of the most infamous toxic plants in history.

• Horse chestnut: A flowering plant in which all parts are poisonous, causing nausea, muscle twitches and paralysis when ingested. Though sometimes mistaken for edible chestnuts, its toxic properties make it highly dangerous if consumed.

• Jacob's ladder: A dried root, usually shaved, that heals damage caused by poison in the manner of a healing salve (see above), often serving as a more affordable alternative to other antidotes.

• Monk's head: A toadstool with multiple healing properties, including the treatment of hormonal organ disorders, asthma and excessive heart rate. It is also known for its ability to repel werewolves, making it valuable in certain protective remedies and warding rituals.

• Monkshood: A flowering plant that serves as a source for poisonous aconitine. Even small amounts can cause severe neurological symptoms, paralysis and death.

• Nightshade: A family of flowering plants, many of which produce toxic compounds that cause hallucinations and paralysis. Some varieties have medicinal applications when carefully prepared, but improper use can be fatal.

• Poison oak: A flowering shrub of the sumac family, one of many sources for poisonous urushiol oil. Contact with its leaves causes severe skin irritation, blistering and persistent itching.

• Rosary pea: A climbing ivy that produces beans containing the extremely toxic abrin. Even a single seed, if chewed, can be lethal, making this one of the most potent plant-based poisons.

• Spindle: A fruit-bearing plant that produces intense caffeine poisoning. It is often used to make mild poisons, causing symptoms such as nausea, heart palpitations and tremors.

• Suicide tree: A flowering shrub that produces a fruit whose seeds are a source of the poisonous cerberin. Its taste can be easily masked by strong spices like curry, making it a frequent agent in poisonings, particularly in India.

• Water-arum: A highly poisonous flowering plant that serves as a source for oxalic acid. Contact or ingestion can cause severe irritation, swelling and potential kidney failure.

• Water hemlock: A perennial herb, the root of which contains the poisonous cicutoxin, causing death by respiratory paralysis. Considered one of the most lethal plants in North America.

• White baneberry: A poisonous flowering plant that yields a hard white berry, capable of producing an immediate sedative effect. In high doses, it can be fatal due to its impact on the respiratory and cardiac systems.

• White snakeroot: A poisonous herb that is a source of tremetol. Consumption of affected livestock can lead to "milk sickness" in humans, historically causing fatal poisonings.

• Woundwort: Similar to amaranth (see above), woundwort halves the chance of a resurrection survival roll failing when a character is magically restored from death. Unlike amaranth, it does not possess other immortality-related properties.

• Yellow Jessamine: A flowering vine native to tropical Central and South America, causing nausea and vomiting when ingested. Honey made from jessamine nectar is mildly poisonous and can induce dizziness and stomach cramps.

• Yellow Oleander: A highly poisonous flowering plant known to cause heart failure. Even small amounts can lead to severe cardiac symptoms, making it one of the deadliest ornamental plants.

Spell Components

In my game, spellcasters do not need to use components when casting spells. However, creating scrolls still requires the original spell components as essential ingredients. The following is a list of those components:

• Bat (live): Required for darkness 15 ft. radius and wizard eye spells. Bats are associated with nocturnal vision and supernatural sight, making them a fitting ingredient for spells involving darkness and remote viewing.

• Bone shard: A piece of human skeleton, used in the scare spell. The remnant of a deceased person enhances the spell’s ability to invoke fear in the living.

• Carp (live), minnow: Used for the identify spell. These small fish are linked to divination and knowledge, possibly due to their association with flowing water and hidden depths.

• Cricket (live), of old age: A component for the magic mouth and sleep spells. Older crickets, known for their persistent chirping, symbolise the endurance of sound and the ability to lull creatures into rest.

• Cricket (live), of young age: Required for the jump spell. Young crickets, being more energetic and active, serve as an appropriate component for a spell that enhances leaping ability.

• Dragon bone: Used in the augury spell. Dragon bones, often linked to ancient wisdom and fate, amplify the spell’s divinatory power.

• Egg (rotten): Necessary for the stinking cloud spell. The potent odour of a decayed egg mimics the noxious fumes conjured by the spell.

• Eyeball (human): Required for the clairvoyance spell and related potions. An eyeball symbolises vision and supernatural sight, reinforcing the spell's ability to see distant locations.

• Flesh (human): Used in the animate dead spell. This macabre component connects directly to the reanimation of corpses, serving as a vital link between life and undeath.

• Graveyard dirt: Needed for the feign death spell. Dirt from a burial site strengthens the illusion of lifelessness.

• Ichor (doppleganger): Brain fluid used for the polymorph other spell and related potions. Doppleganger ichor carries the essence of shape-shifting, making it ideal for transformation magic.

• Ichor (goblin): Brain fluid required for the monster summoning I spell. Goblin ichor embodies minor chaotic energies useful for summoning lesser creatures.

• Ichor (hobgoblin): Brain fluid used for the monster summoning II spell. More potent than goblin ichor, it aids in summoning stronger monsters.

• Leeches: Multiple annelids floating in water, necessary for the tongues spell. Their association with bloodletting and bodily fluids connects to the spell's ability to understand foreign speech. See bloodletting.

• Oak bark: Used in the barkskin spell. Oak, a symbol of resilience and strength, reinforces the spell's effect of toughening the recipient's skin.

• Owl feather (steeped in wine): Required for the identify spell. The owl, associated with wisdom, enhances the spell's ability to reveal knowledge, while wine acts as a conduit for mystical insight.

• Scarab (live): A component for the strength spell. Scarabs, revered in ancient cultures for their endurance, serve as a fitting representation of physical fortitude.

• Spider (live): Required for the spider climb spell. Spiders' natural ability to cling to surfaces aligns with the spell's effects.

See Also,
Poison
Trade & Equipment
Weapons List