Herbalism being a guild skill puts characters who just want to farm or tend a flower garden in a weird situation- it often wouldn't make sense for them to join the physicians or thieves, and since concoct can be used to make certain tools of the trades, guild members are reluctant to teach outsiders.
I'd like to suggest breaking plant, tend and harvest off from concoct, and putting them into a new non-guild skill called Cultivation.
I think it'd make sense that people who know how to prepare concoctions don't necessarily know how grow the plants involved, and that people who know how to grow the plants don't necessarily know how to prepare the concoctions.
There's also a few non-medical concoctions that may make sense to be placed into a new or existing crafting categories if this is approved, for example some of the 0 rank ones like compost, hay, and seeds, so that the chance of failure can be overcome without learning a guild skill, as well as some low-level things like ground cinnamon and other spices, and bouquet of flowers. I think many could be moved to cook, and bouquet of flowers could be moved to the new art thing when it comes in. The pool rate from tend and harvest will likely need to be considerably boosted, without concoct to help things along.
Any thoughts?
Separating plant/tend/harvest from Herbalism
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BattleJenkins
- Posts: 112
- Joined: Fri May 08, 2015 5:00 pm
I made a case for allowing forage to also work for herbalism when gardening some time ago, but it was turned down, unfortunately!
I don't really agree with this. The theme of cultivating and harvesting the plants needed for herbalism centers around the idea of an apothecary or a wild doctor. Medical healing is already separate from Herbalism for a reason.
In order to be an effective apothecary, you have to understand the nature of the plants you're dealing with. Especially in a time period where you don't have a ton of books laying around on it or internet access to simply look it up. A hands on approach is the basic first step to learning these things and identifying them for the principles of the job are another.
I can't really think of anything that other professions require that require you to be able to harvest higher than what you can at 36 Herbalism either. If there is anything dire, I'd suggest maybe moving it down to a lower level of herbalism rather than gutting it.
In order to be an effective apothecary, you have to understand the nature of the plants you're dealing with. Especially in a time period where you don't have a ton of books laying around on it or internet access to simply look it up. A hands on approach is the basic first step to learning these things and identifying them for the principles of the job are another.
I can't really think of anything that other professions require that require you to be able to harvest higher than what you can at 36 Herbalism either. If there is anything dire, I'd suggest maybe moving it down to a lower level of herbalism rather than gutting it.
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Silrie
Based on something Taunya said about tend harvest pooling needing to be boosted. No. Tending and harvesting plants is primarily how herbalists boost their skill. You actually can get quite a lot of pool from just doing that.
A more practical worry for me in this is that the more things get divided, the harder it becomes to juggle learn slots; my character is a master herbalist and a doctor. She has a farm which I now get by with husbandry at 36, but if this is utterly changed, that will hurt a concept I've spent years building. She has been working as an herbalist and a gardener since she was thirteen; she'll be eighteen soon. If this is implemented, I'd hope it can be done so gently so as to offer those of us who actually use the skill in professional areas a chance to do the learn slot dance again. LOL
As for chandlers, you don't absolutely need to have gardening / herbalism over 36 to be a chandler. You can always purchase product from others, hire a gardener to tend and harvest the higher level plants, etc. Promote rp. Having the skill would make it easier, certainly, but just as woodworkers don't absolutely need to be blacksmiths or have blacksmith skill to make woodcutting axes, so it's not imperative for chandlers to know how to garden. One thing is not as linked with the other in the way concocting medications from plants you must know a lot about is.
A more practical worry for me in this is that the more things get divided, the harder it becomes to juggle learn slots; my character is a master herbalist and a doctor. She has a farm which I now get by with husbandry at 36, but if this is utterly changed, that will hurt a concept I've spent years building. She has been working as an herbalist and a gardener since she was thirteen; she'll be eighteen soon. If this is implemented, I'd hope it can be done so gently so as to offer those of us who actually use the skill in professional areas a chance to do the learn slot dance again. LOL
As for chandlers, you don't absolutely need to have gardening / herbalism over 36 to be a chandler. You can always purchase product from others, hire a gardener to tend and harvest the higher level plants, etc. Promote rp. Having the skill would make it easier, certainly, but just as woodworkers don't absolutely need to be blacksmiths or have blacksmith skill to make woodcutting axes, so it's not imperative for chandlers to know how to garden. One thing is not as linked with the other in the way concocting medications from plants you must know a lot about is.
Silrie's point is the main worry I had for the idea. I don't really have any great ideas on how to settle that.
Overall though, I think it'd be good to separate crafting type professions from gathering type professions.
I really like how Husbandry works and how it's separated from leatherworking, cooking, and other crafting professions, and I think the game would benefit if the same type of thing could be put in place for planting.
Pixie's idea of leaving it as-is and making it a non-guild skill is an okay compromise, but I think it might harm doctor's RP chances, with any farmer being able to concoct the cures for things. Perhaps a chance of a cure not working if you take something without someone with the medicine skill in the room could be put in place? Not sure.
Overall though, I think it'd be good to separate crafting type professions from gathering type professions.
I really like how Husbandry works and how it's separated from leatherworking, cooking, and other crafting professions, and I think the game would benefit if the same type of thing could be put in place for planting.
Pixie's idea of leaving it as-is and making it a non-guild skill is an okay compromise, but I think it might harm doctor's RP chances, with any farmer being able to concoct the cures for things. Perhaps a chance of a cure not working if you take something without someone with the medicine skill in the room could be put in place? Not sure.
Also support removing it as a guild skill. You would still need a doctor to diagnose (physicians could get more information about the medicine perhaps? Like what it does only comes from in-guild), and poisons would still have other legal/moral implications. Herbalism wasn't always a guild skill I believe? While I think it's good to have guild skills, not all guilds have them, not everyone is in a position to join a specific guild and a few things would be generally beneficial.
The other option would be to make the ability to harvest all plants be no higher skill than 36. Rare plants are still very hard to find if that is a concern.
The other option would be to make the ability to harvest all plants be no higher skill than 36. Rare plants are still very hard to find if that is a concern.
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